What causes menstrual dysfunction in female athletes?
Low energy availability is one of the main causes of athletic amenorrhea (the technical term for the loss of regular periods).
Availability of energy is the energy we from the food we eat (energy) minus the energy that we consume in the training (power out). It is the energy, the about or support available, normal physical processes, such as for example maintaining leave reproductive function. So, if an athlete in a State of low energy availability, what it means is that it is not always their training enough energy and your normal body functions support. This caused usually these functions of the body are affected. For example it keeps get their period, in an attempt to reduce the amount of energy used by the body.
What is with the training to load? Can download an increased training menstrual dysfunction cause?
Not directly. Training itself suppressed no reproductive function as such, but it on energy costs and thus the availability of energy impact can be. So, more an athlete's training (the higher the intensity and the longer the duration) means more and more energy is used in the training. If the athlete that compensation is not spending on energy by eating enough, less energy is available to normal body function, endanger the athletes to assist in low energy availability. As already mentioned, a result of being in low energy availability is menstrual dysfunction.
Do you know how much you need to eat?
It can simply assume that if an athlete with low energy availability presents, this is due to the restrictive eating habits (overly restricting calories) or as a result of disordered eating. And that may be the case for some athletes, it is often not aware due to the athletes what are really their energy demand - and they can be quite high, especially for long course triathletes - and how much they actually need to eat, meet these requirements.
It is vital for athletes to understand, how important is the correct amount of calories food and how important proper nutrition for sports performance and longevity of their sport.
Low energy availability and your bones
Low energy availability, not only cause menstrual dysfunction, it suppresses estrogen also and other metabolic hormones to increase the promotion of bone formation and bone loss. Bone loss in German athletes is irreversible and justified to prevent the earliest possible intervention to further losses. The short-term consequence is the increased fractures (do you really fractures just before A race in the background be sidelined?), with the long-term consequence of osteoporosis.
How can I prevent low energy availability, amenorrhea and eventually bone loss?
The first step in the prevention or treatment of low energy availability, recovery of the regular periods and prevent bone loss eats enough for professional requirements. Food is really to ensure sufficient availability of energy, food intake fuel, and may increase, the training better meet requirements. Those athletes, trying to achieve a certain weight with racing under the direction of a sports nutritionist. Race weight can still be achieved without sacrificing the health reproductive and Musculoskeletal.