Examination of Athlete Triad Symptoms Among Endurance-Trained Male Athletes: A Field Study

Abstract

Background: Studies examining the physiological consequences associated with deficits in energy availability (EA) for male athletes are sparse.Purpose: To examine male athlete triad components; low energy availability (LEA) with or without an eating disorder risk (ED), reproductive hormone [testosterone (T)], and bone mineral density (BMD) in endurance-trained male athletes during different training periods.Methods: A cross-sectional design with 14 participants (age: 26.4 ± 4.2 years; weight: 70.6 ± 6.4 kg; height: 179.5 ± 4.3 cm; BMI: 21.9 ± 1.8 kg/m2) were recruited from the local community. Two separate training weeks [low (LV) and high (HV) training volumes] were used to collect the following: 7-day dietary and exercise logs, and blood concentration of T. Anthropometric measurements was taken prior to data collection. A one-time BMD measure (after the training weeks) and VO2max-HR regressions were utilized to calculate EEE.Results: Overall, EA presented as 27.6 ± 10.7 kcal/kgFFM·d-1 with 35% (n = 5) of participants demonstrating increased risk for ED. Examining male triad components, 64.3% presented with LEA (≤ 30 kcal/kgFFM·d-1) while participants presented with T (1780.6 ± 1672.6 ng/dl) and BMD (1.31 ±.09 g/cm2) within normal reference ranges. No differences were found across the 2 training weeks for EI, with slight differences for EA and EEE. Twenty-five participants (89.3%) under-ingested CHO across both weeks, with no differences between weeks.Conclusion: Majority of endurance-trained male athletes presented with one compromised component of the triad (LEA with or without ED risk); however, long-term negative effects on T and BMD were not demonstrated. Over 60% of the participants presented with an EA ≤ 30 kcal/kgFFM·d-1, along with almost 90% not meeting CHO needs. These results suggest male endurance-trained athletes may be at risk to negative health outcomes similar to mechanistic behaviors related to EA with or without ED in female athletes.

Immunomodulatory effects of exercise in cancer prevention and adjuvant therapy: a narrative review

“…These results confirm the benefits of both reduced body fat and increased exercise in reducing serum sex hormone levels and providing protection against breast cancer. The association between sex hormones and exercise in men has not been well studied; however, in athletes, significantly lower levels of testosterone have been reported ( Moore et al, 2021 ). Excess androgen levels have been suggested to increase prostate cancer risk, while at the same time, finasteride, a testosterone-reducing medication, lowers prostate cancer incidence ( Hafron et al, 2023 ).…”