Ffhpii - Under eating - Forum report PDF

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Consequences of Under Eating Naoka Cheah ID : 1001648 Submission Date : 18th September 2019 Word count : 1,100

Katherine Shone is an advanced sports dietician, working at olympic park sports medicine centre. She has worked with all types of athletes, specialising in athletes with eating disorders. She discussed the consequences of under eating, risks of dieting, eating disorders in athletes and recommendations on how to maintain a healthy body. Shone opened by questioning the definition of “normal eating”, noting how it could differ for each person whether if they followed a certain diet or certain principles. She discussed the human body’s system, it’s ability to sense the body’s hunger and fullness as well as adjusting the calories intake to meet the energy needs. Hormones such as gherlin enables this by regulating and sending signals from the stomach to the brain. However, attunement disruptors can interfere with this systematic response of the body. For instance, dieting rules can instruct the body to obey external set of rules as a guidance rather than the natural cues of the body. Symptoms of dieting include constant hunger, obsession with food and moodiness. Loss of period, irregular menstrual function or inability to get pregnant can be present in females. Shone spoke about the Minnesota starvation experiment from 1940s, the study focused on the physiological and psychological effect of prolonged starvation on healthy men. It consisted of two phases, the initial phase where participants had a standard diet with normal calories and the second phase with restricted diet. There were noticeably 4 major symptoms :

• Physical changes : weight loss, slowed pulse and frequent urination. • Personality changes : Inability to control emotions, decreased interest in personal grooming and in life. Increased tiredness, moodiness and anxiety.

• Food preoccupation : Increased interest in food, collecting recipes and becoming more •

possessive about food. Social behaviours : Socially withdrawn, more serious and sarcastic.

She highlighted the similarities of the symptoms from the experiment to dieting in the modern world. Dieting Dieting in the modern world is prevalent, especially with it’s portrayal as the answer to issues such as self esteem. Shone drew attention to the success rates of dieting, stating that it poses the highest risk for gaining weight in long term. Not only did 95% of people who diet regained the weight they have lost, but obtained extra weight. This is caused by changes in hormones and metabolism due to dieting, thus inducing the body to prevent starvation and restore the balance. Shone stressed that dieting is not sustainable, addressing this in further detail with the diet cycle. The start of the diet cycle begins with restriction of food, then craving for food and giving in to overeat or binge. Due to the guilt associated with giving in, they start to diet again. Contrary to popular beliefs, weight categories do not affect mortality rate if individuals are physically fit and participate in healthy behaviours. She suggested that rather than primarily focusing on under eating, they need to prioritise the long term goal and recognise that there are many factors to achieving a healthy body. Many tend to believe diet and

exercise are the main determinants, although making up less than 30% of the total determinants of health.

Eating disorders in athletes Many have presumptions that people with eating disorders are very thin and anorexic, despite only 1% being actually diagnosed with anorexia. Furthermore, many of those suffering from eating disorder experience binge eating. It is crucial to understand that eating disorders can come in many forms and what causes it. There are 3 critical causes of an eating disorder : • Genetics - In twins, if one had eating order the other was 50% likely to be diagnosed as well Personality traits - perfectionism poses a greater risk to developing an eating • disorder • Environment or culture - media’s portrayal and promotion of thin ideals Shone emphasised that athletes who are at high risk of eating disorder are female and common among the aesthetic, endurance and weight class athletes. Many athletes who under-eat forget or are too busy and don't have enough time, some lack resources or skills to cook. She illustrated the factors that makes athletes highly vulnerable to falling under eating disorders in “The Car” model. It consists of three components - “the car” representing the underlying causes such as genetics, “the petrol” which fuels the likelihood such as the environment and “turning of the key” as the final trigger such as life experiences. Shone stressed the importance of educating athletes on diet and its’ impacts on the body and their performance. It is essential for athletes to ensure they consume enough energy to avoid neglecting their body. She elaborated further by looking at the science behind energy availability. It uses the energy consumed for exercise as a priority and the leftover energy for undertaking important functions. The Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs acts as a guildeline, showing the significance for athletes to provide the basic physiological needs such as food and water in order for self fulfilment to be acquired. Shone explained the Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) which is an expansion from the female athlete triad, a model initially developed in 90s that showcased common symptoms for female athletes with eating disorder. RED-S includes all athletes from different background, displaying relationship with under-eating and the physiological consequences such as irregular cardio function and poor bone health. In addition, it also highlighted the performance consequences for athletes such as poor endurance, increased injury risk. Shone looked at the case study of sally which highlighted the importance of a healthy approach to their body. Sally had a very restricted diet which led to dangerously low energy availability. Moreover, she exercised daily intensely and felt pressured to do so in order to relieve stress. She experienced strong mood fluctuations, was prone to constipation and had no period in 7 years. After working with medical, psych and deistic support, her mood stabilised and became less dependant on exercise as a stress release. Her change in diet with a wider variety of food led her to be more comfortable with body image.

Conclusion In order to obtain a sustainable healthy body, understanding the risks of diet and adapting a healthy approach such as exercise and intake of vegetables is a critical key. Especially in athletes, who tend to overlook the importance of physiological needs which is required in order to perform to their full potential. Under eating especially for athletes can cause detrimental effects as illustrated in the examples, not only athletes but the public should spread awareness on the dangers of under eating to prevent harm to their health....