Study links weight cutting to poorer task performance in boxers
A November 2 study of 60 competitive male boxers found rapid weight loss coincided with worse hydration measures and poorer executive-task performance. The observational findings do not establish cause and effect.
A prospective observational study of 60 competitive male boxers measured them at baseline, before weigh-in at peak rapid weight loss, and 12–18 hours after weigh-in. At peak weight loss, body mass had fallen by an average 6.22%, while estimated energy availability dropped from 42.8 to 14.2 kilocalories per kilogram of fat-free mass per day, the researchers reported.1
Hydration measures worsened, and executive-task performance, reaction time, anxiety and mood disturbance also deteriorated. Some physiological, salivary and cognitive outcomes remained different from baseline after 12–18 hours of self-directed recovery.1
The authors said the study had no non-weight-cutting control group and that its findings were observational associations requiring confirmation in larger controlled cohorts.1
