Dropping to extremely low body fat levels carries significant health risks for athletes
Dropping to extremely low body fat or energy availability levels poses severe risks to athletes, contributing to conditions like RED-S, bone mineral loss, hormonal disruption, and impaired physiological function.
The retrieved papers examine the physiological consequences of low energy availability and extreme weight reduction in athletes, establishing clear links between deficient energy states and negative health outcomes such as bone loss, metabolic dysfunction, and hormonal disruption.
R. Blagrove, Katherine Brooke-Wavell, C. Plateau, Carolyn Nahman, Amal Hassan, T. Stellingwerff. The Role of Musculoskeletal Training During Return to Performance Following Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport.. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2023-0532
This commentary discusses how relative energy deficiency in sport causes adverse health and performance outcomes, particularly concerning musculoskeletal health.
See more details
Milena Fortuna, Paulina Hetnar, Sebastian Kiper, Sławomir Toczek, Magdalena Tomala, Katarzyna Jastrowicz-Chęć, Klaudia Koryszko, Natalia Pokrywka, Dawid Suwała, Marcelina Polak. Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S): A Systematic Overview of Mechanisms, Effects, and Clinical Implications. 2025. https://doi.org/10.12775/qs.2025.42.60506
This systematic overview highlights that low energy availability negatively impacts metabolic rate, bone health, cardiovascular well-being, and hormonal profiles.
De Souza MJ, Williams NI, Misra M, Nattiv A, Joy E, Barrack M, Ricker EA, Gorrell S, Koltun KJ, O'Donnell E, Mallinson RJ, Salamunes ACC, Woodruff K, Fredericson M, Plessow F. 2025 Update to the Female Athlete Triad Coalition Consensus Statement Part 1: State of the Science and Introduction of a New Adolescent Model.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-025-02333-z
This consensus statement details how energy deficiency and metabolic compensation lead to adverse physiological outcomes in reproductive and skeletal systems.
Williams NI, De Souza MJ, Misra M, Nattiv A, Joy E, Barrack M, Ricker EA, Gorrell S, Koltun KJ, O'Donnell E, Mallinson RJ, Salamunes ACC, Woodruff K, Fredericson M, Plessow F. 2025 Update to the Female Athlete Triad Coalition Consensus Statement Part 2: Clinical Guidelines for Screening, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Return to Play for Adolescents and Adults.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-025-02332-0
These clinical guidelines review the screening, diagnosis, and treatment for energy deficiency and associated bone loss and menstrual disturbances.
The paper trail · every fact has a biography
Challenge the receipt
Citation formatting by citeproc-js (Frank Bennett) and the Citation Style Language project. Source and licenses.
Terms · Privacy · How verdicts work · Dispute this receipt