AUTHOR=Moore Erin M. , Drenowatz Clemens , Stodden David F. , Pritchett Kelly , Brodrick Thaddus C. , Williams Brittany T. , Goins Justin M. , Torres-McGehee Toni M. 

TITLE=Examination of Athlete Triad Symptoms Among Endurance-Trained Male Athletes: A Field Study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nutrition

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2021.737777

DOI=10.3389/fnut.2021.737777

ISSN=2296-861X

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Background:</bold> Studies examining the physiological consequences associated with deficits in energy availability (EA) for male athletes are sparse.</p><p><bold>Purpose:</bold> To examine male athlete triad components; low energy availability (LEA) with or without an eating disorder risk (ED), reproductive hormone [testosterone (T)], and bone mineral density (BMD) in endurance-trained male athletes during different training periods.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> A cross-sectional design with 14 participants (age: 26.4 ± 4.2 years; weight: 70.6 ± 6.4 kg; height: 179.5 ± 4.3 cm; BMI: 21.9 ± 1.8 kg/m2) were recruited from the local community. Two separate training weeks [low (LV) and high (HV) training volumes] were used to collect the following: 7-day dietary and exercise logs, and blood concentration of T. Anthropometric measurements was taken prior to data collection. A one-time BMD measure (after the training weeks) and VO<sub>2max</sub>-HR regressions were utilized to calculate EEE.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Overall, EA presented as 27.6 ± 10.7 kcal/kgFFM·d-1 with 35% (<italic>n</italic> = 5) of participants demonstrating increased risk for ED. Examining male triad components, 64.3% presented with LEA (≤ 30 kcal/kgFFM·d-1) while participants presented with T (1780.6 ± 1672.6 ng/dl) and BMD (1.31 ±.09 g/cm<sup>2</sup>) within normal reference ranges. No differences were found across the 2 training weeks for EI, with slight differences for EA and EEE. Twenty-five participants (89.3%) under-ingested CHO across both weeks, with no differences between weeks.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> Majority of endurance-trained male athletes presented with one compromised component of the triad (LEA with or without ED risk); however, long-term negative effects on T and BMD were not demonstrated. Over 60% of the participants presented with an EA ≤ 30 kcal/kgFFM·d-1, along with almost 90% not meeting CHO needs. These results suggest male endurance-trained athletes may be at risk to negative health outcomes similar to mechanistic behaviors related to EA with or without ED in female athletes.</p>