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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Nutr.
Sec. Sport and Exercise Nutrition
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1479254

Study on the correlation between energy availability and subclinical menstrual disorders

Provisionally accepted
Bingzheng Zhou Bingzheng Zhou 1Zhuo Jin Zhuo Jin 1Qihao Wang Qihao Wang 2Lunhao Bai Lunhao Bai 1*
  • 1 Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, 沈阳市, China
  • 2 School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: There are few studies on the correlation between energy availability (EA) and subclinical menstrual disorders (SMD) in female athletes. This study aims to explore the differences in EA between female athletes with eumenorrhea and those with SMD, and the correlation between EA and the occurrence of SMD.Methods: Luteal phase defect (LPD) and anovulation were defined as SMD. Fifty-six adult female college athletes with regular menstrual cycles and no clinical symptoms of menstrual disorders (MD) were selected as subjects. The EA of the subjects was monitored, and SMD were identified. The EA was compared between the two groups, and the correlation between EA and the occurrence of SMD was analyzed.Results: Nineteen subjects were identified as LPD, and 7 subjects were identified as anovulation. The occurrence of SMD was 46.4%. The EA of subjects with SMD was lower than that of subjects with eumenorrhea (t = 3.165, p = 0.003), and EA was negatively correlated with the occurrence of SMD (r = -0.396, p = 0.000).Conclusions: There were differences in EA between female college athletes with eumenorrhea and SMD. EA was negatively correlated with the occurrence of SMD.

    Keywords: Energy availability, subclinical menstrual disorders, Luteal phase defects, Low energy availability, Anovulation

    Received: 11 Aug 2024; Accepted: 19 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhou, Jin, Wang and Bai. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Lunhao Bai, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, 沈阳市, China

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