Eating Disorders Blog

Recent research indicates that many female athletes experience serious health problems when pushed too hard, including but not limited to disordered eating, osteoporosis, and disrupted menstrual cycles. Female athletes are a high-risk group for developing eating disorders, primarily because weight gain (a natural part of physical maturity) may threaten athletic performance.

In 2003 and 2004, Wisconsin high school student Alex DeVinny was a state champion in cross-country running and track, and earned a running scholarship to the University of South Carolina. What people didn't know was that she had been struggling with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa since the age of 9. Alex DeVinny lost her battle with the eating disorder at age 20, when she succumbed to heart failure.

Alex's father, Doug DeVinny, has organized a conference at the University of Wisconsin in memory of Alex. The "Running on Empty" conference will focus on the dangers faced by female athletes, and will bring together experts and speakers to discuss these threats. Mr. DeVinny commented on his motivation for putting together the event, "It's very difficult for my wife and I to do this. ... Part of the mission, part of what we owe to our daughter, what we couldn't do for her, perhaps we can do for somebody else." (Source: www.jsonline.com)

Labels: athletes, long-term-health

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

According to an article appearing this week in the student newspaper of Lewis University, campus health officials are seeing an increase in male athletes with disordered eating behaviors. The behaviors are linked to the athletes' goal of achieving a "competitive advantage" over other athletes. Jill Siegfried, Director of Student Recreation, Fitness and Wellness at Lewis, believes that these behaviors are on the rise among male athletes because of unhealthy social messages that young men are receiving. She believes that male athletes have developed a "notion that thinner will equate to having a competitive advantage."

One popular form of disordered eating that has been observed by Ms. Siegfried and other officials is compulsive exercising as a way to purge calories. Ms. Siegfried explains, "compulsive exercising is a problem when people schedule their lives around exercise just like people who have eating disorders schedule their lives around eating or not eating."

Siegfried believes that unhealthy social messages encourage "body image distortion" and the development of eating disorders in male athletes. "[There's] the whole consumer marketing buzz to six pack abs and all. People see that image and think it could be them. They'll starve themselves or 'over train' to get there. The obsession is [even] starting now with young boys."

Labels: manorexia, athletes

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Most girls and young women who play sports are healthy, competitive athletes. Some, however, take the competition too far, and find themselves battling eating disorders.

“Kimberly Dennis said she did have an eating disorder when she played basketball, volleyball and soccer… Dennis is now Dr. Dennis and Medical Director at Chicago’s Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center. Dr. Dennis says individual sports like diving and gymnastics pose a greater risk for female athletes but all sports put young girls at more risk than the general population.” - Source: The 33 News (Dallas-Ft. Worth)

Some girls are genetically predisposed, while others are perfectionists. Both put girls at high risk. Kenny Medina, a girls’ soccer coach, says she watches for signs of eating disorders in her players. Changes in eating patterns and noticeable weight loss are signals that something is wrong.

On a related topic, experts have also studied the prevalence of eating disorders among male athletes.

 

Labels: girls, athletes

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 0 Comments

The beginning of Krista Phelps’s story is a familiar one: a great high school athlete with a promising academic and athletic future, preparing for her second state track meet. But before the story could get really good, it took a very bad turn.

Phelps, a Kingsely-Pierson (IA) sophomore who was just 16, died on Sunday … Phelps died from complications of anorexia …

The sudden death of a high school student sends a shock wave through a community. Grief counselors were brought in to help students and faculty cope. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.

A longtime coach once told me about athletes with eating disorders: "John, anyone who’s coached girls' sports long enough knows of at least one." [Source: Des Moines (IA) Register]

As the final quote in the excerpt above indicates, several experts have noted an association between womens' athletics and eating disorders. Male athletes in some sports are also at increased risk.

 

Labels: anorexia, health, athletes, art, death

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 0 Comments