Table 1.
Demographic, lifestyle, alimentary characteristics, and oxidative stress (by FORT units) of 144 study sportswomen, comparison between the 42 OC users and 102 non-OC users
| Characteristic | All athletes (n = 144) mean ± SD or n (%) |
OC users (n = 42) mean ± SD or n (%) |
Non-OC users (n = 102) mean ± SD or n (%) |
p |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sport activity, hours week−1 | 9.2 ± 4.15 | 9.3 ± 5.60 | 9.1 ± 3.40 | 0.64b |
| Elite athletes (national/international), n (%) | 27 (18.7) | 7 (16.7) | 20 (19.6) | 0.68c |
| Age, years | 23.4 ± 4.17 | 23.4 ± 3.62 | 23.4 ± 4.40 | 0.67b |
| Weight, kg | 61.5 ± 8.69 | 61.2 ± 7.79 | 61.6 ± 9.07 | 0.86b |
| Height, cm | 170 ± 6.81 | 170 ± 6.97 | 170 ± 6.76 | 0.76b |
| BMI, kg m−2 | 21.2 ± 2.20 | 21.2 ± 2.02 | 21.1 ± 2.28 | 0.78b |
| University education, n (%) | 104 (72.2) | 34 (81.0) | 70 (68.6) | 0.13c |
| Married or separated/divorced, n (%) | 12 (8.3) | 1 (2.4) | 11 (10.8) | 0.18d |
| Nulliparity, n (%) | 143 (99.3) | 42 (100) | 101 (99.0) | 1.00d |
| Smokers, n (%) | 33 (22.9) | 14 (33.3) | 19 (18.6) | 0.06c |
| Cigarettes, day−1 | 1.1 ± 3.05 | 1.4 ± 2.41 | 1.0 ± 3.28 | 0.06b |
| Coffee drinkers, n (%) | 116 (80.6) | 32 (76.1) | 84 (82.4) | 0.40c |
| Coffee, cups day−1 | 1.5 ± 1.14 | 1.3 ± 1.12 | 1.6 ± 1.15 | 0.13b |
| Tea drinkers, n (%) | 104 (72.2) | 34 (81.0) | 70 (68.6) | 0.13c |
| Tea, cups day−1 | 0.5 ± 0.65 | 0.7 ± 0.62 | 0.4 ± 0.52 | 0.018b |
| Milk, cups week−1 | 4.1 ± 3.68 | 3.0 ± 2.98 | 4.5 ± 3.86 | 0.012b |
| Chocolate, 50 g servings week−1 | 2.0 ± 1.91 | 1.3 ± 1.35 | 2.3 ± 2.05 | 0.010b |
| Bread, 50 g servings week−1 | 7.0 ± 3.51 | 6.8 ± 3.85 | 7.0 ± 3.36 | 0.62b |
| Rice, 80 g servings week−1 | 1.2 ± 1.05 | 1.2 ± 0.86 | 1.2 ± 1.13 | 0.24b |
| Pasta, 100 g servings week−1 | 3.8 ± 1.80 | 3.6 ± 1.50 | 3.9 ± 1.92 | 0.55b |
| Fruits, 200 g servings week−1 | 7.0 ± 5.36 | 6.4 ± 3.91 | 7.2 ± 5.87 | 0.87b |
| Tomato/eggplant/pepper, plates week−1 | 2.2 ± 2.08 | 2.6 ± 1.99 | 2.1 ± 2.12 | 0.12b |
| Fresh vegetables, plates week−1 | 7.9 ± 4.23 | 7.7 ± 4.22 | 8.1 ± 4.25 | 0.35b |
| Legumes, plates week−1 | 0.7 ± 0.84 | 0.9 ± 1.11 | 0.6 ± 0.67 | 0.17b |
| Cheese, 50 g servings week−1 | 2.8 ± 2.06 | 2.5 ± 1.79 | 2.9 ± 2.16 | 0.45b |
| Eggs, number week−1 | 0.9 ± 0.70 | 0.8 ± 0.73 | 0.9 ± 0.69 | 0.24b |
| Red meat, 150 g servings week−1 | 1.7 ± 1.14 | 1.7 ± 1.07 | 1.7 ± 1.18 | 0.82b |
| Total meat (any type), 150 g servings week−1 | 4.0 ± 1.75 | 3.7 ± 1.62 | 4.2 ± 1.80 | 0.26b |
| Sausages, 50 g servings week−1 | 1.82 ± 1.42 | 1.7 ± 1.09 | 1.9 ± 1.54 | 0.77b |
| Fish, 200 g servings week−1 | 1.1 ± 0.86 | 1.1 ± 0.87 | 1.1 ± 0.86 | 0.97b |
| Yogurt, 125 g servings week−1 | 2.0 ± 2.10 | 2.1 ± 2.12 | 2.0 ± 2.11 | 0.64b |
| Sweet cakes, 50 g servings week−1 | 5.2 ± 3.48 | 4.6 ± 3.74 | 5.5 ± 3.34 | 0.11b |
| Wine, 125 mL glasses week−1 | 0.8 ± 1.38 | 1.0 ± 1.46 | 0.8 ± 1.35 | 0.46b |
| Beer, 200 mL glasses week−1 | 1.4 ± 2.18 | 2.1 ± 3.13 | 1.1 ± 1.53 | 0.10b |
| Spirits, 40 mL glasses week−1 | 0.3 ± 0.57 | 0.3 ± 0.46 | 0.3 ± 0.61 | 0.62b |
| Total alcohol grams week−1 | 40 ± 49.9 | 52 ± 67.2 | 35 ± 39.6 | 0.25b |
| Supplement use, n (%) | 34 (23.6) | 14 (33.3) | 20 (19.6) | 0.08c |
BMI body mass index
aItalian espresso coffee cups
b p comparison of OC users and non-OC users by two-tailed Mann-Whitney test
c p comparison of OC users and non-OC users by two-tailed Pearson’s chi-squared test, as appropriate
d p comparison of OC users and non-OC users by two-tailed Fisher’s exact test, as appropriate