Athletics & Health

Starving For the Win: The Rise of Eating Disorders Among Young Female Athletes

By Maryam Waheed, YouthCare Connect

Young women are told from a young age by coaches, trainers, and other athletes that weighing less will equal better results in athletic performances: this is a complete myth. Sports are supposed to be an outlet for aspiring athletes to play to their best ability, but barriers such as eating disorders prevent women from achieving their goals. In our modern day society, women are conditioned to be as thin, light, and attractive as possible. Eating disorders are detrimental to female athletes and cost them more than losing.

This begs the question: why do female athletes “deserve less” than everyone else?

The Female Athlete Triad (1), a term coined by the American College of Sports Medicine, was introduced in 1992 to describe the growing phenomenon of female athletes being pressured to maintain a low body weight. It describes three interrelated conditions: low energy availability, menstrual dysfunction (amenorrhea), and low mineral intake (osteoporosis). The primary cause of this is under fueling, along with international and unintentional eating disorders. Today, it is known under the more broader term RED-S (2) (Relative Energy Deficiency).

According to Dr. Kendra Becker from Mass General Bingham, up to 70% of female athletes participate in dangerous behaviors that can result in an eating disorder, such as restricting food and low self esteem. (3)”There’s a focus on thinness and fitness in the general population, especially for women. Female athletes have the additional pressures of performing well. They are encouraged to train hard, build muscle, and lose fat,” (Becker) These high expectations for female athletes are extremely detrimental for both mental and physical health.

The two most common eating disorders among female athletes are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.(3) Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder where people limit their food consumption, excessively exercise, and/or take laxatives and then vomit in order to lose weight. (4) Many people with anorexia nervosa do not acknowledge their harmful habits as a psychiatric disease. Bulimia Nervosa is an eating disorder when a person eats large amounts of food and then attempts to vomit, fast, or ingest laxatives in order to lose weight. (5)

In a study conducted by K. Katos, risk factors invoked in eating disorders among female athletes include sociocultural, developmental, personality, athletic, familial, biological factors. (6)One-third of female NCAA Division l athletes have reported behaviors that put them at danger to develop an eating disorder. According to EAT-26 scores (eating attitudes test), around 49.2% of division l and 40.6% of division lll female athletes showed attitudes of sub clinical eating disorder symptoms. These results were higher than the estimate, which posed a significant concern. Division l symptoms were tied back to their performance and overall physical appearance. Division lll athletes experienced anxiety regarding their weight and eating patterns. Regardless of NCAA division, collegiate female athletes had alarming and high results.

Anna Albergo, a track and field athlete for The University of Maryland, shared her personal story regarding eating disorders online. “Eating disorders cause so many physical, mental, and emotional issues that persist into recovery. In my case, I experienced anxiety, depression, anemia, stomach issues, other nutritional deficiencies, and challenges in my interpersonal relationships. I never believed wanting to change my body shape would complicate so many other matters. I thought it would make me eternally happy, but it did the opposite- it destroyed my physical, emotional, and mental well-being.”(7) Albergo expressed the toll her eating disorder took on her. Her hair was falling out due to her eating patterns, her body was constantly, she struggled to focus at school and her coach mentioned that she wasn’t performing at her peak. She admitted that she didn’t see anything wrong with her behaviors, but when she consulted for help, she started working on a safe recovery. Anna believes that recovery is very important for athletes who are struggling and it can help athletes to gain their spark back.

Nobody deserves to feel pressured or sick over sports. Female athletes are unlearning these harmful behaviors more and more everyday, thanks to the increase in awareness on eating disorders. Eating less will not improve your performance, it will destroy it. We should all strive to inform athletes around us about the symptoms and signs of disordered eating to prevent illness.

If you are an athlete who is struggling, do not be afraid to ask for help. Acknowledging your habits is the first step to recovery. If you want to learn more and to identify whether you are experiencing an eating disorder, visit nationaleatingdisorders.org to take their survey and to discover resources for recovery. You are more than your weight.