The effects of dehydration before competition upon body compositions, leptin hormone and ghrelin hormone among elite wrestlers

The aim of the study was to determine the changes in body compositions and hydration levels before a competition among elite wrestlers and to demonstrate the difference among leptin and ghrelin hormone levels due to dehydration. Pre and post-test measurements were performed among the twenty-four voluntary wrestlers in before an international tournament. A personal information form that addressed pre-competition weight loss duration and demographic variables was administered to the participant wrestlers. Additionally, body compositions were analyzed using BIA (Bioelectric Impedance Analyzer), and with the help of specialists, 5 cc of blood was drawn from the forearm veins of the wrestlers. Sodium (Na+), Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN), glucose, leptin and ghrelin levels were analyzed in the blood samples. The wrestlers' Plasma osmolarity (P-Osm) levels were calculated through Na+, BUN and glucose in a mathematical formula. The wrestlers who had P-Osm > 290 mOsm/L constituted the weight loss group while the wrestlers who had P-Osm <= 290 mOsm/L constituted the non-weight loss group. It was identified that all the body composition variables of weight loss group were different both in the pre-test and post-test. Furthermore, BUN, glucose, P-Osm and ghrelin hormone levels of the weight loss group were different whereas there were no differences in sodium and leptin levels. As a result, it was found that wrestlers who lost weight before a competition did it quickly; therefore, wrestlers who underwent significant changes in their body compositions demonstrated serious increases in P-Osm and ghrelin hormone levels.