Dietary Cognitive Restraint Is Not Indicative Of Energy Deficiency In Exercising Men

Exercising men are at risk for energy deficiency, and few assessments have been validated for use in this population. The Eating Disorder Inventory-3 (EDI-3), Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ), Drive for Muscularity (DM), and Drive for Leanness (DL) scales can identify energy deficiency risk. In active women, EDI-3 Drive for Thinness scores ≥15 correlated with lower total triiodothyronine (TT3) and resting metabolic rate (RMR). However, associations among these scales and threshold scores for men have not been established. PURPOSE: Determine whether a dietary cognitive restraint (DCR) score of ≥13 identifies energy deficiency in exercising men. METHODS: 25 athletes and 16 active men (22.3 ± 3.5 yr) completed the EDI-3, TFEQ, DM and DL scales. Body dissatisfaction (BD), drive for thinness, perfection (EDI-3), CDR (TFEQ), DM and DL were assessed. Prior research suggests that a cut-off >13 may indicate energy deficiency in males so a DCR score ≥ 13 was used to indicate high DCR (HCR) and those <13 indicated normal DCR (NCR). Body mass index (BMI), serum TT3 and RMR ratios (actual/predicted) were assessed. Correlation analyses determined associations between variables. Independent T-tests compared RMR ratios, BMI, TT3, and other subscales between individuals with HCR and NCR groups. RESULTS: Significant associations existed between DCR score and DT (r = .47, p = .002), DM (r = .43, p = .005), and DL (r = .56, p < .001). HCR vs. NCR groups presented with higher DM (40.6 ± 16.6 vs 51.5 ± 12.3; p = .042), DL (34.4 ± 11.9 vs 42.2 ± 8.4; p = .038), and BD(4.8 ± 5.2 vs 9.2 ± 5.6; p = .049). Despite these findings, there were no differences between HCR and NCR groups with respect to BMI, serum TT3, or RMR ratios (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that high DCR may indicate high-risk disordered eating related to specific body image ideals. In contrast to women, these psychological attributes are not associated with physiological indicators of energy deficiency in athletes and active, reinforcing the need for more sex-specific research to identify energy deficiency in exercising men. Pennsylvania State University Social Science Research Institute