Connecting Three Dots in Ambitious Young Female Runners
Researchers call it the "female athlete triad:" the relationship between disordered eating, irregular periods, and osteoporosis in young women athletes. Some studies suggest that as many as two-thirds of these young women eat in ways that aren't quite an eating disorder but are still harmful to their bodies. Very few studies have looked at all three parts of this triad at once.
These authors looked into this three-way relationship. They studied 91 competitive women distance runners between 18 and 26 years old. (All the runners were part of a larger study on the relationship between oral contraceptives and running.) All the young women competed in races, and they ran at least 40 miles a week during their peak training times. They filled out questionnaires about their eating habits and attitudes, their training schedule, and their menstrual history. They also went through tests of bone mineral density (BMD).
The data about running and menstruation supports other research:
The research also showed some interesting facts about BMD in young women runners:
The research also brought up questions that couldn't be answered in this study:
The authors stress that the relationships between the factors of the "female athlete triad" are complex. No one understands exactly how it works. It is thought that estrogen deficiency and metabolism play some role. And it is known that women who weigh very little are more likely to have low BMD. No matter what the causes, the authors recommend that all competitive women athletes be screened for eating disorders and menstrual irregularity, and that they be given information about the long-term consequences for their health.
References: Kristin L. Cobb, et al. Disordered Eating, Menstrual Irregularity, and Bone Mineral Density in Female Runners. In Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. May 2003. Vol. 35. No. 5. Pp. 711-719.
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