The Female Athlete Triad: What is it and what to do
The Female Athlete Triad is a negative health problem that can affect any female athlete who is not maintaining proper nutrition and daily living habits and also over training. The triad includes disordered eating, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis. It is a prominent problem for young female athletes that is often over looked when programming for strength, power, and overall development. As a coach, parent, and fellow athlete it is our job to know the signs and symptoms to best serve the athlete.
Disordered eating is the most prominent part of the triad and contributes to the other two points significantly. The disordered eating results from female athletes working too hard to compete at high levels, while also minimizing their nutrient intake due to social pressures to lose weight or insufficient knowledge on how to properly nourish their bodies. Minimizing nutrition can come in several forms such as restricted caloric intake, diet pills, the use of laxatives, and/or induced vomiting. Signs of disordered eating include rapid weight loss, additional vigorous exercise with team workouts, fatigue, depression, and low self-esteem. Often, adolescent athletes are unaware of what their growing bodies require as well. They do not get enough proper nutrition for their changing bodies or for the athletic demands they are placing on their bodies. Healthy nutrition is key to proper body functions including menstrual cycles and bone development.
Amenorrhea is the loss of menstrual periods for a time of longer than six months and is attributed to disordered eating and its side effects as well as intense training. When the female body goes below its essential body fat stores (about 14% for young female athletes) the body cannot perform its vital functions including menstrual cycles and muscle and bone maintenance. A healthy body composition of between 14-23% body fat is crucial for young athletes to be able to reap the benefits of their training as well as maintain a healthy body.
Osteoporosis is the third point of the triad and refers to low bone mass, meaning the bones are not strong enough to support the structure of the body. Weight training is key to building strong bones and muscles but without the proper nutrition to support the training it can hurt the body. Normal estrogen levels through normal menstrual cycles are needed to maintain bone density as well as the recommended amounts of calcium and vitamin D to increase bone growth.
All three points of the triad can be traced back to the need for proper nutrition for female athletes and the proper knowledge of how their bodies work. Without the right fuel for the body’s engine the tank will run on empty and break down the body. In the next education topic we will talk about the right fuel using carbohydrates. It is crucial that young female athletes are informed about the importance of body fat in body composition and the need to refuel the body. Gibbons Strength completes nutritional evaluations for all teams before programming for their sport, allowing an inside look at their habits and enabling the staff to tailor plans to the athlete’s needs.
Cheslea Torres, MS Spring 2015, CPT (East Carolina University)
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References:
American College of Sports Medicine. (2010). Health-Related Physical Fitness Testing and Interpretation . In ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription (pp. 60-104). Baltimore.
American College of Sports Medicine. (2011). The Female Athlete Triad.
The Center for Young Women’s Health. (2014, July). Sports and Menstrual Periods: The Female Athlete Triad. Retrieved from The Center for Young Women’s Health: http://youngwomenshealth.org/2010/05/21/female-athlete-triad/
