Are there any doctors/nutritionists on this board who can seriously answer the following?...
Can an unbalanced within-day energy balance cause amenorrhea in a female athlete who is meeting daily calorie requirements (based on lab testing)?
In other words: a female who is running high-mileage and eating enough calories per 24 hours to match her total energy expenditure, but is not distributing it evenly throughout the day (i.e. 75% of calories consumed after 5pm)
I am by no means in-the-know when it comes to science, but my theory is that poor energy distribution raises the cortisol levels, therefore suppressing the production of progesterone and/or estrogen, therefore preventing ovulation.
I know this is Letsrun, but any experts care to chime in?