Eating disorders, athletes men and women at risk but too little is still talked about. The dietician Valeria Galfano: “Each sports organization should establish guidelines for early identification and prevention”

Anorexia, bulimia and various other eating disorders also affect those who practice competitive sports, although too little is still discussed.
To face the question is the doctor Valeria Galfano, surgeon specialist in food and dietary sciencewho dedicates ample space to the phenomenon within his book Diet and women’s training (LSWR editions).

Eating disorders in athletes and athletes

In her volume, Dr. Galfano explains how a disordered eating and eating disorders in the athletes occur with estimates that vary from 0 to 19% in men and from 6 to 45% in women.
To increase these food disorders there is often an environment characterized by strong pressure to lose or increase body weight, and to maintain a meticulous control of the body composition. “To improve sports performance and maximize the training results, they must still maintain strong control over weight, body composition and food, a commitment that increases the risk of developing or aggravating a eating disorder, pushing them to adopt severe eating regimes, perform extreme exercise or abuse illegal and dangerous substances for health”, highlights the Galfano dietologist.
The personal characteristics that are the basis of a successful athletic performance, combined with the sports environment, therefore make the athletes more vulnerable to the development of eating disorders and the worsening of symptoms.

The causes of eating disorders in the athletes and athletes

The risk factors for disordered nutrition and eating disorders in athletes are of biological, psychological, socio -cultural, gender and related to specific sports discipline.
It is mainly of factors “linked to high -level sports competitions, to the disciplines that favor an extremely thin body and body uninatheated “, specifies the expert.

Which sports can most prepare for eating disorders?

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“The sports most at risk”, continues the dietician, “are aesthetic ones, in which we compete according to the weight classes, those in which you have to obtain stereotyped body dimensions or achieve a specific relationship between muscles and fat, and those in which a jury is expected”.

Among the sports that most predispose to eating disorders, the Bodybuilding, boxing, wrestling, artistic gymnastics, horses, dives, artistic skating, dance, athletics, race and swimming. “Although there is a growing opening towards mental health problems in elite sport, there are still obstacles to early identification and the treatment of eating disorders”, highlights Galfano.

What risks to health?

One of the health risks is «the potential development of an energy deficiency relating to sport. In addition to the damage directed of physiological and psychological functionsthe disordered diet can increase the risk of diseases and accidentscompromising the quality of training and indirectly interfere with the objectives of the competition. The consequences of abnormal food behaviors can include electrolytic imbalances, dehydration, nutritional deficiencies, gastrointestinal and dental problems, gingival bleedinggastric and duodenal ulceration, abdominal swelling, constipation “, underlines the specialist, adding that” mental health such as depression, anxiety, personality disorders, abuse of substances, self -harm and suicidal idea “.

But there is more: the incorrect dietary practices And excessive exercise increase the risk of fractures, joint lesions and muscle-tendoninfections, sleep alterations, reduction of school or work performance and social isolation. “If the disordered diet is associated with the low availability of energy, the suppression of physiological processes can occur, with consequent damage to the health of the bones, the menstrual function, the endocrine system, to the metabolism, the hematological state, growth, development, psychological well -being and cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and immunological systems”, clarifies the dietician. “The long -term consequences of the low energy availability are particularly critical for the teenage athlete, Since they influence the peak of bone mineral density and the stature, as well as neurological development and the reproductive system. The consequences on athletic performance can derive from the interruption or from a reduced effectiveness of training, for example caused by the increase in diseases and accidents, by the reduction of training, recovery and adaptation capacity, and also by acute disorders on the day of competition as the reduction of coordination, concentration, strength, resistance and worsening of mood “.

How to intervene?

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Eating disorders have one of the highest mortality rates among all mental diseasesand this highlights the importance of prevention efforts, timely diagnosis and specialized treatment. «It is essential that the staff involved is aware of the risk factors and the signals of danger. In the sports system, each figure plays a role to play in early recognition, and for the clinical evaluation of the individual case anyone can encourage athletes to contact a member of the multidisciplinary team, which should be composed of the sports doctor, the specialist in food science and the psychologist “, explains Galfano.

The prevention of eating disorders

To promote the health of the athletes, according to the specialist, it is of the utmost importance to create an environment and a culture that contribute to the prevention of eating disorders. «To minimize the risk and incidence of these pathologies, the key points of prevention must include the Promotion of health and well -being, reduction of enfases on body weight and understanding that eating disorders represent a real health and safety problem. Prevention can also involve the modification of unhealthy sports rules And the identification of strategies aimed at mitigating the existing rules considered at risk “, he specifies. “Educational programs represent the best primary prevention method, and the main objectives of education must reduce stigma, promote healthy relationships with food and body, encourage an open and honest discussion, educate on potential health consequences, physical performance and inform about optimal nutritional strategies. The best practices in this area would see the coaches, the sports staff members and the race judges subjected to a complete initial educational program and regular updating sessions ».

The athletes of both sexes – reads the manual made by Dr. Galfano – can have a body image in conflict with cultural standards and with gender stereotypes. In addition, “biological changes that occur during puberty and adolescence can contrast with the ideal physique of a specific sporting discipline, making this period particularly at risk for the development of eating disorders. Each sports organization should be aware of the increase in the prevalence of eating disorders in elite athletes, and establish guidelines for early identification and prevention “.