Advice on Regulating Body Mass in Wrestling from the Most Cited Combat Sport Literature—A Systematic Review
2024

Advice on Regulating Body Mass in Wrestling

Sample size: 13 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Karninčić Hrvoje, Žugaj Nenad, Škugor Krešo

Primary Institution: Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Split

Hypothesis

How can weight reduction in wrestlers be effectively regulated based on existing literature?

Conclusion

Rapid weight loss (RWL) is harmful to health and continues to be a prevalent issue in wrestling despite numerous warnings.

Supporting Evidence

  • RWL is prevalent among wrestlers and can lead to serious health risks.
  • Many wrestlers use harmful methods for weight reduction, including dehydration and extreme dieting.
  • Legal regulations exist but have not effectively addressed the issue of RWL in wrestling.

Takeaway

Wrestlers often lose weight quickly to compete better, but this can be very bad for their health. It's important to find safer ways to manage weight.

Methodology

A systematic review of the top 60 cited papers on weight reduction in combat sports was conducted, ultimately selecting 13 articles that met the inclusion criteria.

Limitations

The study is limited by the small number of papers and the exclusion of new high-quality papers due to low citations.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.3390/jfmk9040264

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