RISK OF LOW ENERGY AVAILABILITY, DISORDERED EATING, AND EXERCISE DEPENDENCE IN FEMALE CYCLISTS

Under-fueling, disordered eating (DE), and exercise dependence (EXD) may increase the risk of intentional or unintentional low energy availability (LEA) in cyclists. PURPOSE: To evaluate the prevalence of risk for LEA and its association with risk of DE, EXD, and fueling habits during training and competition in female cyclists. METHODS: Competitive, and recreational cyclists between the age of 18-40 (n = 153 females) completed a 45-question survey using Qualtrics that included training and racing characteristics, questions regarding carbohydrate intake during training and competition, the Low Energy Availability in Females Questionnaire (LEAF-Q), the Disordered Eating Screen for Athletes (DESA-6), and the Exercise Dependence Scale-21 (EDS-21). RESULTS: Among the cyclists, 47.7% (n = 73) were at risk for LEA. Furthermore, cyclists at risk for LEA were more likely to be at risk for DE (X2 = 24.02; p < 0.001). There was no association between risk for LEA and risk for EXD (X2 = 3.73; p = 0.53), here was no association between risk for LEA and meeting fueling recommendations during training sessions lasting 1-2.5 hours (X2 = 1.00; p = .316), >2.5 hours (X2 = .88; p = .348), or in races lasting 1-2.5 hours (X2 = .08; p = .776), >2.5 hours (X2 = .08; p = .767). A Pearson correlation indicated a moderate positive correlation between LEAF-Q and DESA-6 scores (r = .48; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Although EA was not directly measured, based on risk of LEA and DE we conclude that nearly half the population of female cyclists who were at risk for LEA may be at risk due to underfueling or disordered eating behaviors outside of training and racing times. Furthermore, meeting fueling recommendations during training and races does not mitigate the risk for LEA.