Nutrition for Female Athletes: A Guide for Optimal Health

It goes without saying that a well-balanced and nutritious diet is essential to maintain health and fitness. It’s even more important to highlight here that following a healthy eating regimen is crucial when participating in various sports activities. However, while athletes in general are required to consume the necessary calories to build and maintain their physique, women in this field have often been observed to neglect this aspect most of the time. For endurance to be the key to performance in this particular field, women must follow a healthy eating regimen regardless of their age, weight, or BMI.

Women's Health in Athletics

Female Athlete Health Status

A reference to the “female athlete triad” has been made in a specific study, which was described as “a constellation of three clinical entities,” namely low energy availability (with or without eating disorders), low bone mineral density, and menstrual dysfunction.

Low Energy Availability (With or Without Eating Disorder)

While this condition might not seem very severe, it is a common deficit found in many female athletes. Disordered eating patterns are likely attributed to failing to meet energy requirements. As female athletes are required to meet these needs, the first thing they must do is stop unhealthy or disordered eating habits.

Low Bone Mineral Density (BMD)

This happens due to the increased energy expenditure from exercise, which, in turn, results from pressure from coaches to achieve an ideal body weight for training. Such demands from sports authorities lead female athletes to develop eating disorders, resulting in low energy availability and, ultimately, low BMD.

Since bone mineral density is vital to prevent bone fragility caused by high-impact, weight-bearing exercises, following a healthy and nutritious diet is crucial for this purpose.

Menstrual Dysfunction

This is a condition frequently seen in female athletes who have insufficient energy availability. If nothing is done to optimize menstrual function, it can become bothersome to the point where body fat storage struggles to sustain hormonal homeostasis.

From the description of the three abnormalities mentioned above, it’s clear how they contribute to the female athlete triad. Low energy availability, due to continuous exercise combined with (or worsened by) poor eating habits, leads to low BMD, and both contribute to impaired menstrual function.

All three affect the overall health and well-being of female athletes. It’s worth noting that what makes the female athlete triad even more complicated is its diagnosis and treatment, which may require interdisciplinary intervention. The best approach is to prevent these abnormalities from occurring, given the complexities involved.