The Effect of Environmental Disasters on Endocrine Status, Hematology Parameters, Body Composition, and Physical Performance in Young Soccer Players: A Case Study of the Aral Sea Region

Abstract

The Aral Sea region (Uzbekistan) is infamous because of the ecological disaster characterized by the disappearance of the Aral Sea due to excessive uncontrolledwater intake for agriculture needs. A new desert occurrence, soil and climate aridization led to pesticide and toxicmetals environment pollution. The impact of environmental conditions in some areas of Uzbekistan on the health of soccer players is not as noticeable as, for example, the effectiveness of training, so it is not widely discussed in scientific papers. The aimof the present studywas to study the features of endocrine status, hematology parameters (e.g., red blood cells (RBC) and hemoglobin (Hb)), and their influence on body composition and physical fitness performance in local young soccer players of the Aral Sea region as the territory of ecological disaster. The study involved 60male soccer players aged from18 to 22 years. Participantswere divided into two groups: the experimental group (EG), which consisted of 30 soccer players living on the territory of the Aral ecological disaster region, and the control group (CG),which included 30 soccer players, natives of the ecologically favorable region of Uzbekistan. All volunteers had anthropometricmeasurements, concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), total testosterone (TT), estradiol (E2), cortisol (C), RBC, andHb count. Moreover, Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1 (YYIRT1) and professional skills tests such as dribbling shuttle test (DSt) and goal accuracy test (GAt)were assessed. When comparing the CG group to the EG group, itwas observed that the EG group exhibited statistically significantly reduced levels of TT and E2 (p < 0.05). No significant statistical differencewas observed between the two groups in terms of IGF-1 and C (p > 0.05). Regarding hematological parameters, Hb, Ht, and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) were found to be significantly lower in the EG compared with the CG (p < 0.05). Moreover, the distance covered in the YYIR1 test was found to be significantly lower in soccer playerswithin the EG comparedwith the CG (p < 0.05). Additionally, itwas determined that there was no significant difference between the groups in terms of DSt and GAt values (p > 0.05). Lastly, significant differenceswere observed between the EG and CG in terms of anthropometric characteristics (diameters, skinfold, and somatotype profile) (p < 0.05). The present study showed that the changes in evaluated characteristicsmight result fromthe complex influence of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, the content ofwhich is high in the environment of the Aral Sea region. The results obtainedmay helpmonitor the health of athletes living in an environmentally unfriendly environment.