Are eating disorders to blame for all of the injured women in the NCAA

Worried wrote:

Of the 40 all americans last year on the women's side 18 were seniors. This year only 10 of the all american women from last year returned to NCAA's. Are eating disorders to blame for what seems to be a 50% injury rate for the top women in the NCAA? I have heard a lot of rumors as of late that many teams are struggling with a pro-eating disorder culture. What can be done to help quell this trend?

Partially, but more likely poor coaching (which is also part of the ED Culture). Way too many college coaches over cooking their athletes.

Women are fighting mother nature, much more so than men. As serious runners they're all on a fine edge between being in shape and being injured. I would guess that half of the top women get injured each year - not just NCAA. I don't think you need eating disorders to explain it.

So mother nature intended for men to be running around like extras from Schlinders list and it wouldn't lead to more injuries?

Worried wrote:

Of the 40 all americans last year on the women's side 18 were seniors. This year only 10 of the all american women from last year returned to NCAA's. Are eating disorders to blame for what seems to be a 50% injury rate for the top women in the NCAA? I have heard a lot of rumors as of late that many teams are struggling with a pro-eating disorder culture. What can be done to help quell this trend?

And what do the Men's numbers look like? And is this year normal or an outlier?

For example is Ben Saarel and example of the eating disorder: Dude was 8th as a freshman, 7th as a sophomore and 31st as a junior. Clear lack of nuitrition is catching up with him. Or Rosa going form like 33 as a freshman to 97 as a senior.

My impression is that the woman's injury rate is about the same as the men. And you also face the standard regression to the mean. Having a great race one year doesn't mean you are going to have a great race the following year.

In my experience some eating disorders of course cause injuries. But it is not the reason for many,e attitude of the runners, they are obsessed with being good and it is a tough cycle to break. The get hurt because they are obsessed with training and not listening to their bodies.

Worried wrote:

Of the 40 all americans last year on the women's side 18 were seniors. This year only 10 of the all american women from last year returned to NCAA's. Are eating disorders to blame for what seems to be a 50% injury rate for the top women in the NCAA? I have heard a lot of rumors as of late that many teams are struggling with a pro-eating disorder culture. What can be done to help quell this trend?

Simple answer: No, eating disorders aren't to blame for all injuries in the NCAA. It would be unfair, irresponsible, and unethical to assert that eating disorders are to blame for the high rate of injury, specifically in female collegiate athletics.

Long answer: Throughout my years as an ex-competitive distance runner, a trainer, a coach, and now a therapist specializing in eating disorders in athletes, I’ve relied on one basic philosophy, “What’s the issue behind the issue.”

So, no, eating disorders aren’t “the issue” at blame for all of the injuries in female (and male) athletes. There are a number of issues causing injuries, such as: improper/manipulated nutrition, increased exposure to risk factors, stigma and miseducation around mental health issues, and uninformed or blissfully ignorant coaches/trainers? So, are eating disorders the issue? No. I would, however, confidently say that a lot of those injuries are caused by the aforementioned issues that athletes regularly experience, although I don’t have a number in mind.

Numbers vary dramatically (for various reasons), but we can say for sure is that athletes are exposed to many more risk factors for developing disordered eating (sub-clinical) or an eating disorder (clinical) than non-athletes. A majority of female athletes point to eating disorders as the number one health concern related to their sport, and most studies show that athletes (specifically women in lean, aesthetic, endurance, and weight-dependent sports) have more eating problems and are about twice to suffer from eating disorders than non-athletes (source: Thompson & Sherman, Eating Disorders in Sport).

In 2014, IOC introduced a more comprehensive and broader term for the Female Athlete Triad, Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport. “Defined as an energy deficiency relative to the balance between dietary energy intake and the energy expenditure require to support homeostasis, health and the activities of daily living, growth, and sporting activities….The syndrome of RED-S refers to impaired physiological functioning caused by relative energy deficiency, and includes but is not limited to impairments of metabolic rate, menstrual function, bone health, immunity, protein synthesis, and cardiovascular health.” In sum, taking in less energy (food) then you put out (activity) leads to many health issues, including (or preceded by) psychological issues.

The IOC lists performance issues related to RED-S include: decreased muscle strength, decreased endurance performance, increased injury risk, decreased training response, impaired judgment, decreased coordination, decreased concentration, irritability, depression, and decreased glycogen stores.

I’m sorry this is so long, but it is an issue that affects me at my core (no pun intended). If you, or someone you know is suffering, reach out. Mental health issues and eating disorders specifically, are complex, misunderstood, and scary. Eating disorders are associated with some of the highest mortality and suicide rates of any mental illness. Mental illness is a serious issue, and no one should have to go through them alone. I include my info in every post for a reason. No one should be alone in this.

-IJP

There are some resources here for signs and symptoms to look out for as well as tips for coaches and trainers:

Worried wrote:

Of the 40 all americans last year on the women's side 18 were seniors. This year only 10 of the all american women from last year returned to NCAA's. Are eating disorders to blame for what seems to be a 50% injury rate for the top women in the NCAA? I have heard a lot of rumors as of late that many teams are struggling with a pro-eating disorder culture. What can be done to help quell this trend?

Yes, eating disorders and/or malnutrition are major reasons for injury in female athletes. Coaches restricting diets or monitoring diets are a major problem with this trend among distance athletes. You can't just monitor diet and blood panels to prevent injury unless a diet is giving sufficient macronutrients to prevent the body from being in a catabolic state. Most of these coaches are monitoring diet to get athletes to a certain weight which puts them into a catabolic state, instead of just letting the training produce the somatic features most often seen in elites and letting them eat what they want. Leanness is more important than look, tone is a function of training and recovery; performance is related more to leanness and tone than how someone looks and trains. Too many coaches trying to rely on technology and nutrition fads to try to produce results instead of paying attention to just making sure their athletes are well fed and well rested.