Accepted for/Published in: Interactive Journal of Medical Research
Date Submitted: Nov 19, 2020
Date Accepted: Dec 19, 2021
The Use of Compression Stockings reduces Water Retention in the Legs for Gaming and Esports: A Randomized Controlled Field Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
With the increasing digitalization of daily life, virtual entertainment such as gaming and streaming advanced to one of the megatrends of the 21st century. Besides offering a multitude of controversially discussed opportunities for entertainment and social interaction, there is reasonable concern about health issues caused by the absence of physical activity among activities linked to gaming and streaming.
Objective:
To compare the water balance of recreational gamers with and without compression stockings on a gaming event.
Methods:
We measured body composition and water balance with 8-electrode bioelectrical impedance analysis among N=46 recreational gamers before and after 24 hours on a gaming event.
Results:
Our study shows that prolonged gaming and aligned behaviors lead to an increase in extracellular fluid mass in the lower but not upper extremities when no compression is used. Gamers using compression socks did not show any significant negative effects on their body composition.
Conclusions:
Prolonged gaming and streaming are serious risk-factors for diseases aligned with water retention in the legs and those risks can be measured by bioelectrical impedance and reduced by wearing compression stockings. We conclude that these findings should be discussed and replicated in larger studies and that there is a considerable large market for compression stockings among gamers and live streamers.
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