Eating Disorders in Adolescence Can Have a Long Term Effect on Women’s Health

Despite the prevalence of eating disorders in adolescent girls, it’s difficult to find information about longer term health consequences in adults, as little follow-up has been done. A new article in the journal Maturitas on the long-term health consequences of the female athlete triad, a syndrome that may include eating disorders, is an important contribution to the research. First defined in the early 1990s, female athlete triad used to be defined as the combination of an eating disorder, amenorrhea (lack of a menstrual period), and osteoporosis. The definition was adjusted in 2007 to focus more on a spectrum of health and now includes low energy (with or without an eating disorder), menstrual function, and bone mineral density. These are interrelated; it is thought that the lack of energy due to excessive exercise or disordered eating leads to changes in menstrual cycles and loss of bone mineral density. While it’s not original research, the new review by Jill Thein-Nissenbaum of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s physical therapy program points out some important health issues for women beyond the teen years. Of major concern, based on a review of the literature, are the long-term effects of decreased bone mineral density associated with the triad. Women who restricted their energy intake may have missed crucial bone mass building time, and this bone density may not be made up even with eating disorder recovery. Thus, as women age, they are losin...
Source: Our Bodies Our Blog - Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Tags: Body Image Research & Studies Source Type: blogs