HEADSUP SPORTS CONSULTING

Providing Athletic Performance Enhancement Evaluations and Consultation to Athletes, Coaches and Athletic Teams

Home

Steven W. Noles, Psy.D.
Biographical Sketch

Available Services
Descriptions of available services

Testimonials
What others are saying about Dr. Noles

Mental Training Exercises
Sample information and strategies

Outside the Arena
Common problems concerning athletes

Parent's Corner
Advice for parents of athletes

Coach's Corner
Positive coaching strategies

FAQs
Answers to frequently asked questions

Ask HeadsUp Sports

DISORDERED EATING

AND EATING DISORDERS

This area of pathology among student-athletes is probably one of the, if not the, most researched in all of sports medicine. Unfortunately, we don't know as much about eating disorders and athletes as we would like, but we do know athletes are at increased risk for developing an eating disorder or disordered eating (problematic eating that is not quite at the level required to diagnosis an eating disorder). The prevalence of eating disorders is growing in the general population and among athletes as well. The problem can present in all sports but so-called "aesthetic sports" such as figure skating, gymnastics, and diving put athletes at increased risk. These sports often involve prolonged dieting, frequent weight fluctuations, and sudden changes in training volume which contribute to the development of an eating disorder. Also, athletes in these sports who begin at an early age are at even higher risk.

Endurance athletes, such long distance runners and swimmers and those training for marathons and triathlon competitions, are also at high risk for disordered eating and eating disorders.

Men are at higher risk than women. While only about 1% of males in the general population have an eating disorder, about 11% of male athletes (which is about the same percentage for female athletes) have an eating disorder. This suggests male athletes may be 10 times as likely to develop an eating disorder than males in general. The incredibly dangerous practice of wrestlers starving and dehydrating themselves prior to weigh-ins can have lethal consequences. It is a mistake to only think of eating disorders as the province of female athletes.

Once identified, eating disordered athletes need highly specialized clinicians and usually a team approach to treatment.