Training Vigorously For An Athletic Event Without Eating Enough?

Young Athletes Succumb to Fatigue Due to Decreased Calorie Intake

Overambitious female athletes push themselves hard, training more than the rest, to gain a competitive edge. Training hard requires eating more calories to meet all the energy demands of training, recovery, growth and development. But sadly, the athlete never changes his/her diet plan nor increases his/her portion sizes. This results in a condition known as “relative energy deficiency in sport” (RED-S).

RED-S is a condition where there is energy deficiency gap which is a result of insufficient energy intake to support activities such as daily living, growth, health and functioning and is an extension of the condition known as the “female athlete triad”. Side effects of this condition include decreased bone health, menstrual function, metabolic rate, cardiovascular health, protein synthesis, immune system function and psychological health. This condition can also affect male athletes sometimes.

RED-S is a result of the pressure and stress the individual undergoes to change eating habits due to sports requirements with an extra emphasis on appearance, low body weight and endurance. Magazines and the internet provide flashy information which is often misleading when followed by young girls who are growing, developing and training. Athletes who wish to perform exceedingly well wish to eat healthy or lose weight by self-imposed food restriction and rigid dieting. Athletes need disciplined food habits to excel with neither too much nor too little calories and a registered dietitian nutritionist at www.firsteatright.com is the right person to customized a healthy diet plan for the young athlete to gain/lose weight according to the athlete's need.

Young girls have no idea how energy and food choices are related to each other. It is not mandatory that an eating disorder should exist before RED-S develops, although some other psychological factors may be preset. Whatever maybe the case, short-term and long-term health consequences are possible in young female athletes who develop RED-S.

The Effects of RED-S

• Almost 60 to 80 percent of bone mass develops by the age of 18 and hence, bone health must be the primary focus. When young girls impose rigid diet restrictions on themselves, body systems important to bone growth may shut down.
•  Such restrictions can cause calcium and vitamin D deficiencies too, leading to poor bone formation. When RED-S is left untreated, poor bone growth can result in stress fractures and early osteoporosis.
• Reproductive development is also affected greatly. Less energy and low estrogen levels result in delayed menstruation and irregular/missed cycles.
• RED-S increases risk of injury and decreases endurance and muscle strength. Response to training, coordination, judgement is also reduced while irritability and depression are increased.

Correcting RED-S helps to accelerate athletic performance.

Parents and loved ones can make a change for the better to prevent RED-S. They can educate their daughters on the energy needed to train vigorously and perform well, and its connection with proper nutrition. Parents should also highlight the benefits of nutrition on maintaining bone health, menstruation cycles as well as their role in preventing injury and impaired training. Young female athletes should be cautious against weight loss, changes in menstrual cycles and mood swings.

Parents and coaches must create a comfortable environment where girls can consume three meals and 1-3 snacks per day. Missing even a single meal can result in energy deficit. If your children don’t find time to eat their breakfast at home, pack it and send it across. Training after school is normal and it is advised to go for a pre-workout snack, such as energy bar, cereal, crackers, banana, fruit and fruit juice and peanut butter to provide energy for training.