Throughout this process, the role of overall good
nutrition practices in optimizing performance
should be emphasized.
6 If the athlete exhibits symptoms of an eating
disorder, the athlete should be confronted with
the possible problem.
7 Coaches should not try to diagnose or treat
eating disorders, but they should be specific
about their suspicions and talk with the athlete
about the fears or anxieties they may be having
about food and performance. Medical evaluation
should be encouraged and appropriate support
given to the athlete.
8 The coach should assist and support the
athlete during treatment.
Conclusion
1 The prevalence of eating disorders is higher
among female athletes than non-athletes, but the
relationship to performance or training level is
unknown. Athletes competing in sports where
leanness or a specific weight are considered
important are more prone to eating disorders
than athletes competing in sports where these
factors are considered less important. The
number of male athletes who meet the eating dis-
order criteria is unknown and such prevalence
studies are needed.
2 It is not known whether eating disorders are
more common among elite athletes than among
less successful athletes. Therefore, it is necessary
to examine anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa,
and subclinical eating disorders and the range of
behaviours and attitudes associated with eating
disturbances in athletes representing different
sport and competitive level to learn how these
clinical and subclinical disorders are related.
3 Clinical interviews seem to be superior to
self-report methods for determining the pre-
valence of eating disorders. However, because
of methodological weaknesses in the existing
studies, including deficient description of the
populations investigated and procedures for
data collection, the best instruments or interview
methods are not known. Therefore, there is a
need to validate self-report and interview guides
520 practical issues
with athletes and identify the conditions under
which self-reporting of eating disturbances is
most likely to be accurate.
4 Interesting suggestions about possible sport-
specific risk factors for the development of eating
disorders in athletes exist, but large-scale longi-
tudinal studies are needed to learn more about
risk factors and the aetiology of eating disorders
in athletes at different competitive levels and
within different sports.
5 Once the eating disorder is diagnosed, the
goal is to modify the behavioural, cognitive,
and affective components of the athlete’s eating
disorder. Treatment of athletes ideally involves
a team of a physician, physiologist, nutritionist
and, in some cases, a psychologist. The dietitians
should be trained and experienced in working
with individuals with eating disorders and
understand the demands of different sports.
6 More knowledge about the short- and long-
term effects of weight cycling and eating disor-
ders upon the health and performance of athletes
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