Avoid AED with these steps

Step 1: Know the danger

Athletic Energy Deficit (AED) can hurt the long term competitive performance of your female athletes, posing a danger to both reproductive health and bone development.

Step 2: Educate young female athletes

Early, frequent and open talks about the relationship between healthy eating and exercise can help prevent AED. Work with sports dietitians, team doctors or volunteer medical professionals to discuss the topic with your team. Parents - talk to your daughters about the intensity of their training, proper nutrition and the relationship to strong bone development.

Step 3: Watch for signs of a problem

Early recognition is important. Extreme weight loss and delayed, lost or irregular menstrual cycles are symptoms of a serious problem.

Step 4: Prevention

Consume enough food to make up for the energy lost during physical activity. Eating adequate carbohydrates and proteins within 20-30 minutes of strenuous athletic activity will help replenish the body and prevent the development of Athletic Energy Deficit.

Resources

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is committed to helping athletes reach their peak performance. Their mission is to promote a healthy and safe environment for student-athletes regarding optimal nutrition, positive body image and peak performance by providing education and awareness. This site has tools for student-athletes, coaches, parents, athletic administrators and athletic trainers.

The Female Athlete Triad Coalition represents key medical, nursing, athletic, and sports medicine groups, as well as concerned individuals who come together to promote optimal health and well-being for female athletes and active women. The Female Athlete Triad refers to three interrelated health problems seen in females. These problems include: low energy availability, menstrual disorders, and weak bones. In the extreme, these problems may be expressed as eating disorders, amenorrhea (loss of menstrual periods), and osteoporosis (an increased risk of fractures). The Female Athlete Triad Coalition was heavily involved in the development of the American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand on the Female Athlete Triad.

The International Olympic Committee Position Stand was published by their Medical Commission Working Group on Women in Sport and includes decision trees for amenorrhea and osteoporosis.

BodyWorks is a program developed by the Office on Women's Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services designed to help parents and caregivers of young adolescent girls (ages 9 to 13) improve family eating and activity habits. Using the BodyWorks Toolkit, the program focuses on parents as role models and provides them with hands-on tools to make small, specific behavior changes to prevent obesity and help maintain a healthy weight. The BodyWorks program uses a train-the-trainer model to distribute the Toolkit through community-based organizations, state health agencies, non-profit organizations, health clinics, hospitals and health care systems. The program includes one six-hour training module for trainers and ten 90-minute weekly sessions for parents and caregivers.