Balancing Act

Driven by her desire for gold, U.S. National Team gymnast Christy Henrich practiced diligently for hours each day while maintaining a disciplined diet in hopes of becoming the best. But by the age of 22-years old, she weighed less than 50 pounds, and her tragic death illuminated the importance of protecting the female athlete’s body image and health.

Female athletes became empowered to step forward and discuss the challenges and increasing demands of competition. By the early 1990s, the Female Athlete Triad received international recognition as a health concern.

The Female Athlete Triad involves three distinct but inter- related conditions: energy deficiency caused by disordered eating, irregular menstrual cycle and low bone-mineral density. A female athlete can have none, one, two or all three parts of the triad. While the demands of competition may drive some athletes to diet or to adopt unhealthy eating behaviors, many may not realize the increased caloric intake that is required to achieve adequate energy. The imbalance of low intake and high expenditure results in low energy availability. A deficit in energy leads the body to suppress physiological functions that are essential for development, health and athletic performance.

As a result of low energy availability, athletes may experience menstrual dysfunction, e.g., irregular, absent or loss of menstrual periods. In addition, low energy availability can lead to poor bone health. Low bone mineral density may cause injuries such as stress fractures and result in negative long-term effects.

Awareness and prevention of the Female Athlete Triad will help to maximize athletic performance. Proper nutrition and health education is essential in the development of young athletes. Recognizing signs of any part of the triad is important in protecting the health of athletes.