Journal of Obesity & Weight Loss Therapy
Open Access

Abstract

Athletes strive for optimal performance, which includes incorporating dietary strategies that focus on optimizing body composition and training adaptations. Low body fat is considered an advantage in certain sports such as weight-class sports (e.g., wrestling), aesthetic sports (e.g., gymnastics), and endurance sports (e.g., long-distance running). Thus, athletes often restrict energy intake to achieve optimal body composition. As a result, positive adaptations to training are compromised and individuals are at greater risk for injuries. The purposes of this review are to: 1) explore prevalence and current trends of sub-clinical and clinical eating disorders in male and female athletes; 2) describe recent research knowledge on hormonal dysregulation and musculoskeletal health and 3) discuss possible integrated approaches for addressing eating disorders in athletes.

Biography

Lynn Cialdella Kam joined CWRU as an Assistant Professor in Nutrition in 2013. She received her PhD in Nutrition from Oregon State University, her Masters in Exercise Physiology from The University of Texas at Austin and her Master in Business Administration from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She completed her Post-doctoral research in Sports Nutrition at Appalachian State University and is a licensed and registered dietitian nutritionist. At CWRU, she is engaged in undergraduate and graduate teaching, advising and research. Her research has focused on health complications associated with energy imbalances (i.e. obesity, disordered eating, and intense exercise training). Specifically, she is in interested in understanding how to alterations in dietary intake (i.e., amount, timing, and frequency of intake) and exercise training (i.e., intensity and duration) can attenuate the health consequences of energy imbalance such as inflammation, oxidative stress, insulin resistance, alterations in macronutrient metabolism and menstrual dysfunction.

Email: lak99@case.edu