COACHES' CORNER How to Handle Eating Disorders Among Athletes by Nancy Clark, M.S., R.D.
Sports Medicine Brookline 1996
Eating disorders are prevalent among athletes. Research indicates that:
As many as one third of women athletes struggle with disordered eating patterns.
3% of almost 700 athletes in Midwestern colleges met the diagnostic criteria
for anorexia; 21.5% met the criteria for bulimia.
Dieting, binge-eating, and food obsessions are not confined to the overweight
population. They are also prevalent among normalweight and lightweight groups,
athletes included. Many athletes strive to be lighter than their natural weights.
They exercise excessively and eat spartanly to attain an often unrealistic weight
goal.
The dietary restrictions lead to binges; the cycle deepens, and food becomes
the fattening enemy. The athletes forget that food contributes to good health,
top performance, and athletic longevity. Some suffer from anorexia, others bulimia,
many alternate between the two.
ANOREXIA AND BULIMIA
Anorexia is a loss of appetite characterized by a pursuit of thinness. The afflicted
persons look emaciated and eat little or nothing. They sometimes wear bulky
clothes to hide thinness, and they may complain of being cold.
Bulimic behavior is more subtle. Look for bloodshot eyes, swollen glands, and
bruised fingers (from inducing vomiting). The athlete may eat a hearty meal,
then rush to the bathroom; you may hear water running to disguise the sound
of vomiting. The bulimic person may also hide laxatives and display other secretive
behaviors.
WHAT TO DO
If you think that an athlete is struggling with eating disorders, speak up!
Anorexia and bulimia are self-destructive eating behaviors that can be life-threatening.
Here are some tips for dealing with these problems:
Approach these athletes gently but persistently, indicating that you are
concerned about their health and believe they have problems with food. Bulimics
will generally open up with this approach; anorexics may try to deny any problem.
Point out how anxious, tired, and/or irritable the athlete has been lately.
Emphasize that these conditions may be reversed.
Don't discuss body weight or eating habits. Remember that the starving and/or
binge eating is not the most important issue. Rather, the eating disorder
is a symptom of more fundamental problems with life.
Be supportive and listen sympathetically, but don't expect the athlete to
confide in you right away. Reinforce your concern frequently and stress your
belief in the athlete's ability to resolve the problem.
Give a written list of local resources for professional help. Post this
list (with tear-off phone numbers at the bottom) in the locker rooms, bathrooms,
and dining halls.
Don't deal with the athletes' eating disorders yourself. Seek help from
trusted members of the athletes' families or medical and mental health professionals.
A medical team consisting of a registered dietitian, counselor, and physician
is optimal for treating eating disorders.
