Discussion
collegiate dancers, depressive symptoms, collegiate, improves lower-body muscular strength
The current study demonstrated significant increases in estimates of TBW and LM following 6 weeks of CR supplementation in female collegiate dancers compared to a placebo control. Specifically, CR supplementation resulted in a significant increase in estimates of lower appendicular LM. Previous literature has established CR supplementation augments LM independent of body mass increases in pre-menopausal females [In the present study, no significant improvements in performance were observed. This may be explained by the shorter length (6 weeks) of the intervention or absence of resistance training program implemented in the present study. Additionally, although familiarization sessions were performed, these maximal effort laboratory tests are unfamiliar to the dance population and may have contributed to large standard deviations in performance measures. However, previous literature suggests CR supplementation improves lower-body muscular strength and power in untrained females following 10 weeks of CR supplementation (20 g·day There is previous literature that supports the use of CR supplementation to improve certain cognitive functions, such as short-term memory [Collegiate dance is unique, due to the large mental and physical demands brought about by rigorous academic schedules as well as a lack of nutrition and supplemental training resources. Previous data suggest CR supplementation augments brain CR via the blood-brain barrier, thereby eliciting an inverse relationship with depressive symptoms [Strengths of the study include high compliance due to researchers’ access to collegiate dancers within the University of Idaho department, and the use of the NIH Toolbox. The NIH Toolbox is a widely used and validated method of measuring various cognitive functions and will allow easy comparison of scores across other studies that have used the same tool. The study was randomized and placebo-controlled, and covered a large variety of physical movements, making it thorough in physical assessments. Additionally, dietary intake was used as a control to ensure participants’ habitual dietary intake was not influenced by the intervention. No significant differences in dietary intake were observed by time or group. These data indicate collegiate dancers’ dietary intake did not change over the course of the intervention.There were a number of limitations that may have affected the outcome of the study. The study had a high level of homogeneity and relatively small sample size (Data from the present study demonstrate CR supplementation is an effective means to increase LM in a collegiate dance population independent of a resistance training program. These data indicate a novel approach to optimizing body composition with a safe, noninvasive technique which can be employed in a population with rigorous academic and training demands. Further investigation is necessary to determine if CR supplementation at various doses and timeframes may elicit increases in LM as well as performance capabilities in female collegiate dancers.