Collegiate male athletes exhibit conditions of the Male Athlete Triad.

The primary purpose of this study was to determine prevalence of the Male Athlete Triad (MAT) conditions: low energy availability (EA), low bone mineral density (BMD), and low testosterone in male collegiate athletes from different sports. Participants included 44 collegiate male athletes (age, 20.4 ± 0.2 years; body mass index, 25.3 ± 1.3 kg/m2) from 7 sports (cross country, soccer, basketball, wrestling, track, golf, and baseball). Resting metabolic rate, 3-day food intake, 7-day exercise energy expenditure, body composition, and reproductive and metabolic hormones were assessed. Of the total participants, 15% had low EA, 0% had low BMD, 28% had low total testosterone (TT), and 80% had low calculated free testosterone (cFT). There were no significant correlations between EA, BMD, TT, and cFT. Insulin and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) were below and on the upper end of the reference range for healthy male adults, respectively. Insulin was negatively correlated with total (r = -0.330, p = 0.043) and lumbar spine BMD z-scores (r = -0.413, p = 0.010). Low TT and low cFT were the most prevalent MAT conditions among all athletes. Further research should investigate the relationship between insulin and SHBG and the role of these hormones in the MAT. Novelty: Assessment of energy availability alone is not sufficient to identify physiological disturbances in collegiate male athletes. Low total and/or free testosterone may be present in some collegiate male athletes, regardless of BMD status. Low insulin and high SHBG concentration may portray the presence of conditions of the MAT in male collegiate athletes.

The effects of short-term low energy availability, achieved through diet or exercise, on cognitive function in oral contraceptive users and eumenorrheic women.

To date, no research has explored the effects of low energy availability on cognitive performance using dietary and exercise regimens relevant to athletes. Twenty female participants (10 eumenorrheic, 10 oral contraceptive [OC] users) completed three 3-day conditions: 1) controlled-balanced energy availability without exercise (BAL; 45 kcal·kg lean body mass [LBM]-1·day-1); 2) diet-induced low energy availability without exercise (DIET; 15 kcal·kg LBM-1·day-1); and 3) exercise-induced low energy availability (EX; 15 kcal·kg LBM-1·day-1, including 30 kcal·kg LBM-1·day-1 treadmill running at 70% maximal oxygen uptake). A cognitive test battery was completed before and after each 3-day condition. Mental rotation test accuracy improved in the BAL condition, but there was a decline in accuracy in the EX condition (BAL, +2.5%; EX, -1.4%; P = 0.042, d = 0.85). DIET (+1.3%) was not different to BAL or EX (P > 0.05). All other measures of cognitive performance were not affected by condition (P > 0.05) and OC use did not affect cognitive responses (P > 0.05). Accuracy in the mental rotation test was impaired when low energy availability was induced through increased exercise energy expenditure. All other aspects of cognition were unaffected by 3 days of low energy availability through diet or exercise. OC use did not mediate the effect of low energy availability on cognition. Novelty: Cognitive function was not affected by 3 days of diet-induced low energy availability. Only spatial awareness was impaired during 3 days of exercise-induced low energy availability. Reproductive hormones affected spatial awareness independent of energy availability.

Female Athlete Triad Coalition cumulative risk assessment tool: proposed alternative scoring strategies.

We (i) identified alternative scoring strategies for the Female Athlete Triad Coalition cumulative risk assessment (CRA) tool to be utilized when particular risk factors (bone mineral density (BMD), oligomenorrhea/amenorrhea) cannot be determined; (ii) objectively defined dietary restriction for use in the CRA tool; and (iii) explored proxy measures of energy deficiency. This cross-sectional investigation of exercising women (n = 166) utilized an existing database derived from multiple studies designed to assess health, exercise, and menstrual function. Data from the screening/baseline period of each study included: anthropometrics, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, disordered eating questionnaires, descriptive data, and proxy measures of energy deficiency (total triiodothyronine (TT3) and ratio of measured-to-predicted resting metabolic rate (mRMR/pRMR)). Substituting delayed menarche for BMD was the best-fit replacement resulting in 15 (9%) participants being categorized in different clearance categories. When menstrual status cannot be assessed, such as during hormonal contraceptive use, low energy availability (EA) determined using self-report and disordered eating questionnaires was the best substitution, resulting in 34 (20%) participants being categorized in different clearance categories. Based on original clearance categorizations, the provisional group had lower TT3 (78.3 ± 2.2 ng/dL; 92.7 ± 2.7 ng/dL) and Harris-Benedict mRMR/pRMR (0.85 ± 0.01; 0.90 ± 0.01) than the full group. Until an updated risk assessment tool is developed, delayed menarche can substitute for low BMD and low EA for oligomenorrhea/amenorrhea. Novelty This investigation addresses previous limitations of the Triad CRA tool. Disordered eating questionnaires can be used to objectively identify dietary restriction for the low EA risk factor. When a risk factor cannot be assessed, delayed menarche can substitute for low BMD and low EA for oligomenorrhea/amenorrhea.

12 days of altitude exposure at 1800 m does not increase resting metabolic rate in elite rowers.

Four elite rowers completed a 12-day altitude training camp living at 1800 m, and training at 1800 m and 915 m, to assess changes in resting metabolic rate (RMR). RMR and body composition were assessed pre- and postcamp. Downward trends in RMR and body composition were observed postaltitude: absolute RMR (percent change: -5.2%), relative RMR (-4.6%), body mass (-1.2%), and fat mass (-4.1%). These variations are likely related to the hypoxic stimulus and an imbalance between training load and energy intake.