When wrestlers quickly lose 5% of their body weight before a match and also train hard, their muscles show more signs of damage than when they train just as hard without losing weight.
Scientific Claim
Rapid weight loss of 5% combined with high-intensity sport-specific training is associated with higher levels of muscle damage biomarkers—including myoglobin, aldolase, creatine kinase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase—compared to high-intensity sport-specific training alone in male wrestlers.
Original Statement
“Higher levels of almost all biomarkers were observed in the phase that included RWL compared to the second phase, with a greater significance level.”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
overstated
Study Design Support
Design cannot support claim
Appropriate Language Strength
association
Can only show association/correlation
Assessment Explanation
The abstract uses causal language ('impacted', 'influence') but the study design (crossover, no confirmed randomization or blinding) is Level 4 evidence and cannot establish causation. Verb strength must be reduced to association.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
Acute muscle damage as a metabolic response to rapid weight loss in wrestlers
The study found that wrestlers who lost 5% of their body weight quickly and then trained hard had more muscle damage than those who only trained hard without losing weight.