In this research we study the energetic and vegetative adaptations induced by sports activity in female professional basketball players.

A group of sedentary women (n = 10) and a group of female professional basketball players (n = 10) participated in this study. The resting energy expenditure, the body composition and the structure of the autonomic nervous system (analysed through the power spectral analysis of heart rate variability) were measured twice at intervals of six months. Sedentary women did not perform any sports activity, while female players performed competitive sports.

Results show that sports activity induces an increase of resting energy expenditure and also of the percentage of free fat mass without weight variations(p < 0.01). The high frequencies of the power spectral analysis of heart rate variability, which is the indicator of the parasympathetic nervous system's activity, are increased with sports activity (p < 0.01). No variations are recorded in the low frequencies of the female players' power spectral analysis of heart rate variability.

This research shows that resting energy expenditure is increased by sports activity, even though there is an increase of the parasympathetic nervous system's activity, which is well known as one of the factors reducing resting energy expenditure.