Body composition, exercise-related performance parameters and associated health factors of transgender women, cisgender women and cisgender men volleyball players.

Abstract

Objective: The inclusion of transgender athletes in competitive sports has promoted significant dialogue and controversy among exercise-related professionals. The objective of this study was to investigate body composition, exercise-related performance parameters and associated health-related factors of transgender women (TW), cisgender women (CW) and cisgender men (CM) amateur volleyball players.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study comprising TW, CW and CM amateur volleyball players eligible with the following characteristics: 'gender incongruent' (for TW only); age between 18 and 35 years; body mass index (BMI) between 18.0 and 29.9 kg/m²; 'very active' according to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and engaged in regular volleyball training for at least 1 year. All participants were assessed for body composition, blood biomarkers, handgrip strength, countermovement jump height (CMJ), squat jump height (SQJ) and maximum oxygen consumption (V̇O_2max).

Results: 69 amateur volleyball players were initially evaluated, but only 23 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the study (7 TW, 8 CW and 8 CM). Age (p=0.07) and BMI (p=0.26) were similar between groups. Estradiol (p=0.47), total testosterone (p=1.00) and haemoglobin (p=1.00) levels did not differ between TW and CW. However, analysis not adjusted by confounding variables showed that CM presented higher testosterone levels (p<0.001), haemoglobin levels (p=0.03), lean body mass (p=0.03), handgrip strength (p<0.001), CMJ (p<0.001), SQJ (p=0.012) and V̇O_2max (mL/min) (p=0.001) compared with TW. When adjusted by confounding variables, all p values were <0.05, except for SQJ (p=0.062).

Conclusion: TW athletes displayed similar exercise performance and biomarkers compared with CW but lower results compared with CM.