Community Nutrition Assesment final draft of paper

Running Head: NUTRITION AND BODY IMAGE 1

Southern Utah University Female Distance Team-Nutrition and Body Image

Aubrey Bryson, Jessica Elliott, and Jasmyn Hildebrandt

Southern Utah University

Authors Note

Aubrey Bryson, Jessica Elliott, and Jasmyn Hildebrandt are in the Department of

Agriculture and Nutrition Sciences, Southern Utah University.

Correspondences to this article review should be addressed to Aubrey Bryson, Jessica

Elliott, and Jasmyn Hildebrandt, 351 W University Boulevard, Department of Agriculture and

Nutrition Sciences, Southern Utah University, Cedar City, Utah 84720

Contact: [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected]

NUTRITION AND BODY IMAGE 2

Southern Utah University Female Distance Team-Nutrition and Body Image

Assessment was completed on Southern Utah University Women’s distance team with

key informant, Head Coach Eric Houle. A survey was given to the athletes to assess their eating

and knowledge of nutrition. In this study it was observed that the participants lacked knowledge

of the Female Athlete Triad, which incorporates energy deficit, leading to amenorrhea and

osteoporosis. Within collegiate running there is pressure to have an ideal body image, and this

holds true with the Southern Utah University women’s distance team. Many of the athletes feel

pressure to look a certain way due to nutritional advice and information offered by Coach Houle.

The women often alter their eating habits in order to gain an unrealistic body type that doesn’t fit

their natural frame and build.

Background

Information in the background section was obtained in an interview with Coach Houle on

(date), as well as from surveys distributed to the Southern Utah University female distance

runners asking specific questions about their eating habits. The Southern Utah University female

distance team is comprised of eighteen women aged 18-24. These women average 6-14 miles of

running per day. This includes easy distance runs that average 7:15 minutes per mile or lower.

Also, high intensity workouts are done 2-4 times per week. Included in physical activity are

weight and plyometric training. Averaged amount of energy being expended per day is 2,500-

3,500 calories. The average caloric intake of the Southern Utah University female distance

runners is lower than necessary to maintain a healthy weight. In running, it is crucial for athletes

to obtain enough fuel and hydration to perform adequately, and in the running world, there is a

huge push to be as light as possible to obtain desired running goals. However, this “ideal body

weight” can be unrealistic and detrimental to the runner in the long run. Signs of unhealthy


eating practices and distorted body images on the SUU female distance team are seen. Personal

goals, pressure from coaches and other outside sources, as well as unrealistic views on increasing

performance fuel these practices. There is a lack of knowledge and resources to help aid in

correct eating habits and practices.

Female Athlete Triad

There is concern that many of the female athletes at SUU are suffering from some level

of the female athlete triad. According to our survey, almost 100% of the women indicated

abnormal menstrual cycles. An energy deficit, mentioned in the background section, is a great

concern as well in athletes surveyed. Laframboise, Borody, and Stern displayed how sports have

helped females increase self-confidence and self-esteem, while reducing participation in risky

behaviors like drug abuse and teen pregnancy. However, with the pressure on females to display

the perfect body type and ideal body shape, the risk of eating disorders has increased. This, in

turn, has led to problems with amenorrhea and low bone mineral density. Females can lie

anywhere in this spectrum on a scale from healthy to a disease state, depending on how serious

their condition is (2013).

The central component of the Female Athlete Triad is energy deficit. When there is an

energy deficit, it can lead to the other three conditions of the triad. Kransdorf, Vegunta, and

Files declared that when energy availability is near resting metabolic rate, which is when calories

are below 30 kilocalories per kilogram lean body mass, a hormone called the luteinizing

hormone (LH) is disrupted (2014). The LH helps regulate the menstrual cycle and ovulation in

women. Laframboise et al. further expounded on the hormone disturbance. When an athlete is

consuming low energy, their physiological and neuroendocrine system will change in their body.

This causes the hypothalamus gland to stop producing Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone


(GnRH), which in turn stops the release of the luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating

hormone from the pituitary gland (2013).

The lack of hormones being produced due to low energy intake leads to menstrual

dysfunction. The lack of these hormones halts the production of estrogen and progesterone in

the ovaries causing abnormal menses. This causes functional hypothalamic amenorrhea, a term

used for a lack of a menstrual cycle. Functional hypothalamic amenorrhea can then lead to low

bone mineral density due to the imbalance of hormones in the body (2013).

Pollock et al. discussed that with low energy intake and lack of a menstrual cycle,

synthesis of collagen and insulin-like growth in the bone is suppressed. If not taken care of,

stress fractures can occur, as well as osteoporosis. Bone mineral density in women in their early

30 years depletes 1% per year leading up to menopause, and then 5% after that. It is stated that

female athletes with amenorrhea mimic bone mineral loss in the same way, making their bones

weak and susceptible to injury (2010). Laframboise et al. stated that stress fractures appear 25-

63% in the tibia with female athletes struggling with the Female Athlete Triad (2013).

Coaching Influence on Athletes

One of the many reasons female athletes develop the Female Athlete Triad, is due to

pressure from outside sources, including the coach and staff. Coaches may not have accurate

knowledge in nutritional due to personal bias or incorrect knowledge. Blom, Watson, and

Spadaro stated that the coach-athlete interactions have been shown to influence the athletes’

perceptions of their sport satisfaction and enjoyment. Also, with positive feedback from their

coach, athletes perceived themselves as a more confidant and highly motivated (2010). This

interaction can also produce a negative effect when coaches pressure athletes to meet weight

requirements or give negative feedback about performance. The women’s track coaches,


unknowingly and unintentionally, are often producing negative effects, particularly when it

concerns their athlete’s body weight and performance.

Pressure for Certain Weight Range

Coach Houle feels that the lighter the runner is, the faster they will be. This is true for an

athlete at optimal body weight, but some runners drop below their ideal body weight. At first,

they see results and are able to run faster, but eventually the lack of energy leads to injury and

slower times. Wiita and Stombaugh discussed how many endurance athletes and their coaches

believe that having a lower body weight will produce faster times. Many female athletes attempt

to control weight without sufficient intake, which then leads to disordered eating, which can

eventually lead to the Female Athlete Triad. Runners may feel that to be successful they need to

be lean. Their research shows that body mass index and weight do not play a role in female

athlete runner performances. Athletes are also susceptible to the influence of their teammates

and their appearance. They try to obtain the same slim figure their peers have (1996). According

to our survey, many of the athletes mentioned that they felt they were a healthy body weight, but

were considered overweight for a collegiate athlete.

Measurement of Healthy Body Weight

Nevill, Winter, Ingham, Watts, Metsios, and Stewart identify that Body Mass Index

(BMI) is not a valid measurement of adiposity in athletic populations, and discuss that an

adjustment should be made (2010). Due to muscle mass of athletes, BMI may indicate they are

overweight when in reality they are in a healthy range. The current standard used to assess health

of SUU athletes, by Coach Houle, is the body mass index. The other defining method, used by

Coach Houle, is to take post-season weight and subtract ten percent to determine ideal body

weight. According to our survey, his recommended way to lose weight is to eat low calorie


vegetables all day. Healthy options for weight loss are not promoted and disordered eating habits

generally occur. There are many resources available at SUU to help athletes achieve a healthy

body weight, without using the BMI method. Nutrition professors at Southern Utah University

may be a resource for teaching athletes correct nutrition habits. Other resources at Southern Utah

University include a Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) scan, BodPod, SenseWear arm

bands and bio-electric impedance machines. These can more accurately determine muscle mass,

bone density, and healthy body weight for athletes.

Assessment of Eating Habits

Coach Houle assesses eating habits with seasonal weight checks and daily pulse checks.

He stated in our interview that pulse will manifest any stress that the body is under, including

disordered eating. Other assessment tools he uses are visual appearance, skin tone, and personal

interaction. He stated in our interview that he has done this long enough that he can tell when

something is off with one of his athletes. Results from the survey showed that most athletes feel

they are practicing healthy eating habits, however, most are not receiving adequate calories.

According to Wiita et al. athletes are significantly low in selected nutrients, particularly calcium,

potassium, and sodium (1996). These are all critical to an athlete’s health, performance and

safety. According to the survey, many runners limit their intake of meat, which is essential for

adequate iron status.

Summary and Conclusion

Overall, there are many concerns with the nutrition status and body image of the

Southern Utah University women’s distance team. Many of these concerns stem from long held

beliefs of the coaching staff as well as the athletic environment of running. The pressure to

perform and to maintain a certain desired weight caused many athletes to practice unhealthy


eating habits. These pressures often lead to the Female Athlete Triad, which can have long term

serious health consequences. Better nutrition information and assessment methods are needed to

maintain a healthy lifestyle for these women athletes.

References

Blom, Lindsey C., Spardaro, Nina, & Watson, Jack C. II. (2010). The Impact of a Coaching

Intervention on the Coach-Athlete Dyad and Athlete Sport Experience. Athletic Insight,

Inc, 12(3),

Kransdorf, Lisa N., Vegunta, Suneela, & Files, Julia A. (2013). Everything in Moderation: What

the Female Athlete Triad Teaches Us About Energy Balance. Journal of Women’s

Health, 22(1): 790-792.

Laframboise, Michelle A., Borody, Cameron, & Stern, Paula. (2013). The female athlete triad: a

case series and narrative overview. J Can Chiropractic Association, 57(4), 316-326


Nevill, AM, Winter EM, Ingham, S, Watts, A, Metsios GS, & Stewart, AD. (2010). Adjusting

Athletes’ Body Mass Index to Better Reflect Adiposity in Epidemiological Research. J.

Sports Sci, 28(9), 1009-16

Pollock, Noel, Grogan, Claire, Perry, Mark, Pedlar, Charles, Cooke, Karl, Morrissey, Dylan, &

Dimitriou, Lygeri. (2010). Bone-Mineral and other Features of the Female Athlete Triad

in Elite Endurance Runners: A Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Observational Study.

International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 20(1), 418-426

Wiita, Barbara G, & Stombaugh, Isabelle A. (1996). Nutrition Knowledge, Eating Practices, and

Health of Adolescent Female Runners: A 3-Year Longitudinal Study. International

Journal of Sport Nutrition, 1(6), 414-425

Community Nutrition Assesment final draft of paper

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