Athlete Triad

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Athlete Triad Seminar Presentation

Eating Disorders in Female Athletes can have extremely

harmful, even fatal effects.

Niamh Kelly



YOU ARE GOING TO LEARN ABOUT...

1. Different types of eating disorders.

2. The long and short-term effects of disordered eating.

3. Athletes with disordered eating.4. Why does it happen?

5. How you can help to prevent them.

6. Steps to recovery.

7. The components of the female athlete triad.



FACTOR #1

Disordered Eating: Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia Athletica

Bulimia Nervosa

Binge Eating

Causing Factors: history of abuse

parental behaviour

cultural and genetic influences

brain and hormonal abnormalities

family history of addiction pressure from coaches and piers

weight categories in sport

advantage in certain sports

fitting into tight costumes

pressure to fit into a stereotypical body type



Anorexia NervosaObsession with being thin

Constant fear of gaining weightDistorted body image

Refusal to maintain normal body weight

Strict dieting

Potentially fatal

Symptoms:•Depression, fainting

•Low BP, heart palpitations

•Weak muscles

•Osteoporosis*

•Brittle hair and nails, dry skin•Kidney failure

• Amenorrhea*

•Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

•Edema : swelling of soft tissues in

the abdominal area as a result of water

retention.

•Lanugo (growth of hair all over the

body to keep it warm)

•Muscle Atrophy : decrease in muscle

mass

• Anaemia (red

blood cell count is low)



Bulimia NervosaBinge eating , which is a response to stress, is an uncontrollable frenzy of

eating excessive amounts of food. It is followed by purging:

Self-induced vomiting

Use of laxatives or diuretics

Starving the body of food for days

96% of bulimics are female6% of teen girls suffer from this disease

Olympic gymnast, Christy Henrich, was told by a judge she had to lose

weight if she wanted to become a part of the Olympic team. She died from

multiple organ failure in 1994 - a complication caused by bulimia, aged 22.

Olympic swimmer, Amanda Beard, recently admitted to have struggled with

bulimia, which began as a result of weight gain during puberty.

-This cycle may occur once a

week up to several times a day.

-Eventually, the body naturally

expels food after eating.

-This habit becomes an addiction-Weight loss may not be obvious



SYMPTOMS OF BULIMIA

Rotting teeth and gum disease

Callused fingers

Weakened immune system

Infertility

Barrett’s oesophagus - strongly linked with cancer

Blood-Sugar level disruptions (creates problems with the liver, kidneysand circulatory system)

Pancreatitis - the digestive enzymes attack the pancreas; caused byrepeated stomach trauma or the excessive use of laxatives.

Depression and Insomnia

Malnutrition

Cramps, bloating, diarrhoea, or constipation.

Imbalanced electrolytes (lack of sodium and potassium)

Heart Attack

Death

Amanda Beard



Anorexia Athletica (aka Hypergymnasia)

Compulsive exercising to the point of having negative effects onthe body (injuries, performance deteriorates)

Most common in pre-elite athletes in sports that it is anadvantage to be thin and lean.

Self-worth is tied to physical performance in these athletes’minds.

Restriction in calorie intake also may be present.

Extreme guilt if a training session is missed, or if they don’t

exercise “enough”. Feeling undeserving to eat unless they have exercised.

Binge Eating Eating excessive amounts of

food in a short period of timewithout purging.

Often seen in people that do

not eat breakfast or lunch and

make up for it in the evening.

People that diet during the week and let loose on the weekend.



Eating Disorder in Sports-Sports such as gymnastics, figure skating, synchronised swimming

and ballet demand a certain body shape (which is usually thin and

lean).

-These are called aesthetic sports, as beauty is a big factor.

-Pressure to look good in revealing costumes.

-Hours spent scrutinizing themselves in a mirror.

-Advantageous to be light for lifts and certain movements like jumping.

-65% of athletes in these sports struggle with disordered eating

In 1997, Heidi Guenther, a ballerina in the Boston Ballet, aged 22

died as a result of anorexia. She was 93 pounds at 5”3 (BMI of

16.5)



Why great athletes are pre-disposed to

an eating disorder?

Elite athletes seem to have many similar traits...-disciplined

-competitive

-“no pain no gain” attitude

-perfectionist

These are the same attributes of a person with an eating disorder.

For some athletes, their sport is all they have and their success definesthem. So if being a cross-country runner means you need a thin, lean

body, that’s what a lot of people will strive for. “Loosing 1 pound = cutting

2 seconds off your race”.

These traits then become counter-productive if you are not eating

enough to fuel your training:

-you are not “on top of your game” -you cannot concentrate

-you cannot remember dance or gymnastic routines as effectively

-you will have a longer recovery time

-you are more prone to injury

-you cannot exercise as intensely or as long

http://www.videojug.com/interview/anorexia-and-athletes-2











How to prevent an eating disorder?

As a coach or parent, it is your responsibility to help keeping your child or

teen healthy. The best cure for an eating disorder is early detection. In recent

years, children as young as eight an nine are being found to have anorexia.Tell tale signs

• A rapid drop in weight.

•Sudden concern to eat healthily or become

vegetarian.

•Skipping meals, or wanting to eat meals

in private.•Detachment from friends and family.

•Irritability.

•Concerned and insecure about body weight.

Prevention as a parent:

•Be a good role model, eat healthily and exercise!•Eat dinner as a family, making eating a positive activity.

•Do not constantly talk about wanting to lose weight (moms!)

•If you are on a diet, let your child know that it is to become healthier rather

than slimmer as this gives the message that it is okay to dislike your body.

•Try to focus on the “inside” qualities of people rather than the “outside” ones

(personality vs. appearance).



How to prevent eating disorders as a coach?•Never single someone out and mention their weight in front of others or in

private.

•Do not congratulate your athlete for losing weight, especially if they

weren’t overweight to begin with as this encourages further weight loss.

•When choosing costumes for a performance, ask your class for their

input and if they are comfortable wearing it. Let them know they can talk to

you in private if they want to.

•Chose a costume that will be flattering on all body types and not too

revealing.

•Do not tell an athlete to lose weight.

•Do encourage healthy eating and regular exercise to be the best athlete

they can be.

Recovering from an eating disorder -This is both a physical and emotional journey. One must not only reach

and maintain a healthy BMI while obtaining a normal relationship withfood; but also learn to love their body and regain self-esteem.

-It is advisable to see a doctor to undo as much harm done to your body

as possible. Counselling is often a great help to overcome the disorder.

-A nutritionist can set up a diet plan of gaining weight healthily. Supportfrom family and friends come a long way too.



FACTOR #2: AMENORRHEA

-A temporary/permanent absence of the menstrual period

Primary Amenorrhea:

-Periods have not begun by age 16, usually because of a genetic disorder.

Secondary Amenorrhea:

-Absence of the menstrual period for 3 or more consecutive cycles.

-Most common causes are pregnancy, menopause, stress, low body fat andexcessive exercise.

-Occurs in 90% of anorexic teenagers.

-The body barely has enough energy to support itself, let alone conceive andmaintain a healthy pregnancy.

-The reproductive system ceases to operate.

-Oestrogen levels drop to that of menopause.

Treatment: Decreasing your training 10 to 15 percent

Increasing your calorie intake by 10 to 15 percent

Increasing your calcium intake



Nadia Comaneci Romanian Olympic gymnast

At fifteen, she was the first ever female to score aperfect 10 in the 1976 Olympics.

This started a serious eating disorder trend in

gymnastics for years to come.



Factor # 3:Osteoporosis, the “Silent Disease” • A common disease that causes low bone density.

•No symptoms during the early stages.•Body fails to form enough new bone or too much existing bone is

absorbed by the body.

•Bones are more brittle and likely to fracture.

•Simply bending over or coughing may cause pain, even a broken bone.

Causes

-lack of calcium and Vitamin D

-genetics

-loss of estrogen during menopause

- drop of testosterone in men

- being confined to a bed

-disordered eating



...Osteoporosis

Symptoms

-compression factures in spine

-increasing pain over time

-loss of height (up to 6”)

- irregular or no periods

Treatment

Exercise often (walking, weight lifting, hiking is recommended).

Improve diet

Taking medicines Taking calcium and Vitamin D supplements

Quit smoking and drinking



Conclusion

In order to be the absolute best you can be at a sport,one must eat an appropriate amount of healthy food

that will fuel training, which should be at a healthy

pace. Not doing so can cause serious physical

damage and may force you to quit the sport. Notevery person is made to be stick thin, so you must ask

yourself what is more important to you, your

appearance or your performance? People need to

realise that it is not reasonable, or safe, to be so thin

when taking part in serious sports.

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Athlete Triad

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