Disordered Eating, Eating Disorder and Female Athlete Triad

Endurance athletes are always at risk of disordered eating habits that can grow into eating disorders like anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. Athletes struggle with food or weight related issues because they are supposed to look lean so that they look good while competing and also because there is a myth that their performance will improve when they have less weight to carry. In such cases, immediate help from a Sports Nutritionist is highly recommended.

Any physically active woman, specially an athlete, is in danger of complications arising if she eats less than necessary and exercises more. The female athlete triad consists of dysfunctional or disordered eating which results in amenorrhea or the loss of menstrual periods and osteoporosis. This energy drain happens when physically active women consistently eat less to improve their appearance or performance. The body shuts down the reproductive system to conserve energy via the hypo-thalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, The ovaries produce less oestrogen leading to stopping of periods. This results in stress fractures and early onset of osteoporosis because of low bone density.

Active, young women may also have delayed puberty and short stature. Nutritional deficiencies like anaemia, loss of lean muscle mass, injuries due to over-use of muscles and early onset of osteoporosis is very common in female athletes. They may also face difficulty in conceiving.

Professional help from a doctor, nutritionist and therapist is recommended to female endurance athletes so that their performance anxiety does not lead them to neglect their nutritional requirement and necessary rest period while exercising  at their optimum calibre.

About the author: Avni Kaul is India’s most trusted nutritionist and wellness coach. She is a certified nutritionist as well as Diabetes Educator and specializes in weight management, child nutrition, skin and beauty health, thyroid disorder, cardiovascular health, diabetic management, wedding nutrition, sports nutrition, and corporate wellness.