Review on the effects of physical activity on body composition and shape in people with Down Syndrome

People with Down Syndrome (DS) are often characterized by overweight or obesity and result to be less active than their peers. Both overweight/obesity and physical inactivity are considered important risk factors for health, thus augmenting mortality risk. World Health Organization recommends different training programmes for health benefits in different age ranges of general population. Effects of physical activity may be even more important in preventing health consequences in people with DS. In this context, we conducted a literature search of original articles, published between May 2010 and May 2020, on the effects of physical activity on body shape, body composition and bone quality in people with DS. We found twelve articles from all the continents, investigating the effects of different types of physical activity on body fat and lean masses, bone composition and anthropometry. In sum, the included studies reported improvements in body composition (with augmented lean mass and reduced fat mass), body size (with lower weight, waist circumference and BMI) and bone quality (in terms of bone mineral content and/or bone mineral density). In particular, body composition improves after conditioning and plyometric jumps training program, 2-wheel bicycle training, whole body vibration and swimming. Body shape is significantly improved by bicycle training, interval training and swimming. Finally, bone quality shows positive results after conditioning and plyometric jumps training program, whole body vibration and weight bearing exercise. Although different types of physical activity are investigated in people with DS, however the best training programme for this population is not clear. So future studies may focus on the comparison or combination of different types of physical activity to assess which one could maximize benefits.