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I’ve a query for you.
What proportion of feminine runners do you assume have Low Energy Availability (LEA)?
5%? Maybe 10?
Perhaps you’re pondering larger, 20 – 25%?
A brand new examine suggests you may nonetheless be a way off! Whitney et al. (2024) assessed 1030 Boston marathon runners utilizing self-reported surveys to evaluate for LEA.
In their examine, 42.5% of feminine runners have been classed as having Low Energy Availability!
If you’re not aware of LEA it outcomes from an athlete not consuming sufficient power from their eating regimen to satisfy the calls for of every day life and sport. It can have adverse results on a number of areas of well being and efficiency as highlighted within the examine abstract beneath:
This is such an essential paper and I’d encourage you to debate it with athletes in your care. It’s the biggest examine of its variety ever carried out at a real-world marathon occasion and the primary to exhibit a hyperlink between dietary “under-fuelling” and slower race efficiency instances in addition to elevated threat of requiring race-day medical consideration.
There’s rather a lot to take from this analysis so I’d encourage you to learn the complete paper, it’s open entry in BJSM and out there through this hyperlink.
The inhabitants included on this examine is a pleasant illustration of marathon runners you’re prone to see in clinic. The examine group was 53% feminine and 47% male, roughly 75% have been Boston Qualifiers and 25% charity crew registrants.
We know a number of elements can affect race day efficiency but it surely does appear that power availability was key:
It’s important that as well being professionals we’re conscious of Low Energy Availability and the influence it might have on well being and efficiency. It’s a key driver of RED-S and will be related to to eat problems and train dependancy so it’s important that athletes have the help they want, doubtlessly together with a Mental Health Professional and referral to a Sports Physician.
I’ve chatted with Dr Whitney through social media and he or she’s very kindly shared some nice info on indicators of LEA to look out for in athletes:
I requested Dr Whitney in regards to the subsequent steps and he or she highlighted how essential it’s to rearrange a session with a Registered Dietician who specialises in sports activities efficiency because the power and diet wants of every athlete are advanced and extremely variable. Alongside this Dr Whitney shared some basic recommendation that may be useful for athletes:
I like this clear, easy message from Dr Whitney and her analysis, “Fuelling is quicker!”
I believe we must be spreading this far and broad to well being professionals, coaches and athletes. So many issues with runners turn into a part of the ritual of their sport, from proudly owning far too many pairs of running footwear to warming up and beginning your GPS watch. It’s all a part of running and diet must be the identical, a part of that ritual. It generally is a very satisfying half too!
I encourage runners to have a post-run restoration and fuelling technique that they will sit up for, it helps them by the lengthy runs, particularly if it’s chilly and moist! For me it was a scorching chocolate, fruit, some good snacks and a soak within the bathtub. That turned a key a part of my ritual and one thing I cherished.
I’d prefer to say an enormous thanks to Dr Kristin Whitney for her analysis and sharing her knowledge and in addition to her co-author Dr Alexandra F. Dejong Lempke who has additionally been an enormous assist with bringing this info collectively. You can observe them each on Instagram: @Kristinwhitney.md and @afdlempke3
