How much do Triathletes know about Female Athlete Triad

The Medical College of Wisconsin had the clever idea to investigate how much, if anything, Triathletes know about the Female Athlete Triad. The research cohort was tiny - 15 female athletes - but the results amaze in that half the athletes did not know what exactly Female Athlete Triad is !

Nearly half of the women had problems with their periods - amenorrhea. If you read yesterday's post you'll see that missing periods or not having periods at all is a major factor in reduced bone density- leading over the years to osteoporea.

More than half the female athletes were not taking in enough calories to support their activity level. This lack of enough calories leads to amenorrhea.

The results were written up - look at the abstract - you'll need a subscription to get the full report.

Just to state the obvious, Female Athlete Triad is NOT just confined to Triathletes, it can strike any hard exercising women - whatever the sport or activity.