Harper is a teenaged competitive gymnast who has spent years restricting her eating habits to appear lean in her team leotard. What adverse consequences of Harper’s disordered eating habits are likely?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

A prolonged, inadequate energy intake has numerous adverse consequences. It leads to nutrient deficiencies (including anemia), chronic fatigue, and increased risk of infections and illnesses. Protein synthesis decreases and blood lipids increase, favoring heart disease. All of these consequences harm health and impair performance.
Females commonly develop amenorrhea. The prevalence of amenorrhea among premenopausal women in the United States is about 2 to 5 percent overall, but among female athletes, it may be as high as 65 to 70 percent. Body fat stores and hormone levels are too inadequate to support normal menstruation. Amenorrhea is often accompanied by bone losses.
In general, physical activity increases bone density, but for women with amenorrhea, physical activity increases bone losses and stress fractures. To grow strong bones, athletes should be encouraged to consume 1300 milligrams of calcium each day, to eat nutrient-dense foods, and to obtain enough energy to support both a healthy body weight and the energy expended in physical activity. Nutrition is critical to bone recovery.