Sclerostin, preadipocyte factor-1 and bone mineral values in eumenorrheic adolescent athletes with different training patterns

Introduction The specific aims of the study were to compare possible differences in sclerostin and preadipocyte factor-1 (Pref-1) between rhythmic gymnasts (RG), swimmers (SW) and untrained controls (UC), and to investigate the relationships of sclerostin and Pref-1 with bone mineral characteristics in studied groups. Materials and methods This study included 62 eumenorrheic adolescents (RG = 22; SW = 20; UC = 20). Bone mineral and body composition characteristics were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and sclerostin, Pref-1, osteocalcin and C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTx) were measured. Results Sclerostin was higher (P = 0.001) in RG (129.35 +/- 51.01 pg/ml; by 74%) and SW (118.05 +/- 40.05 pg/ml; by 59%) in comparison with UC (74.32 +/- 45.41 pg/ml), while no differences (P = 0.896) were seen in Pref-1 (RG: 1.42 +/- 0.16 ng/ml; SW: 1.41 +/- 0.20 ng/ml; UC: 1.39 +/- 0.26 ng/ml) between groups. Osteocalcin (RG: 7.74 +/- 4.09 ng/ml; SW: 8.05 +/- 4.18 ng/ml; UC: 7.04 +/- 3.92 ng/ml; P = 0.843) and CTx (RG: 0.73 +/- 0.22 ng/ml; SW: 0.64 +/- 0.16 ng/ml; UC: 0.62 +/- 0.20 ng/ml;P = 0.173) were not different between groups. Sclerostin correlated (P < 0.05) with whole-body bone mineral content (r = 0.61) and lumbar spine (LS) areal bone mineral density (aBMD) (r = 0.43) in RG, and femoral neck aBMD (r = 0.45) in UC. No correlation was found between sclerostin and bone mineral values in SW, and Pref-1 was not correlated with any bone mineral characteristics in studied groups. Sclerostin was the independent variable that explained 14% of the total variance (R-2 x 100) in LS aBMD value only in RG. Conclusions Adolescent athletes have higher sclerostin compared to UC. Sclerostin was correlated with bone mineral values and predicted areal bone mineral density in RG.

Automated summary

The study compared sclerostin and preadipocyte factor-1 levels in rhythmic gymnasts, swimmers, and untrained controls, finding higher sclerostin levels in athletes. Sclerostin correlated with bone mineral values and predicted areal bone mineral density in gymnasts.