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A GREAT DEBATE: THE FEMALE ATHLETE TRIAD VS. RELATIVE ENERGY DEFICIENCY IN SPORT

Abstract

Since the mid-1990’s the Female Athlete Triad (the Triad) has been gaining momentum as an evidence-based physiological series of sequela, including impaired bone health and menstrual dysfunction, thus, impacting health and performance in sportswomen. The American College of Sports Medicine then endorsed this condition. However, within the past decade, this disorder has been criticized for being too narrow in scope and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) was born. REDs, mimics the Triad, with low energy availability (LEA) serving as the root cause for a broader series of systemic and organ-specific dysfunctions that apply to both male and female athletes. Since the original REDs consensus, the authors have updated their diagnostic protocol to a more comprehensive screening tool. However, drama has been building as the scientists who developed and fully back the Triad and those who have embraced REDs have been viewed as directly competing. This has quickly escalated from a professional dispute to open name-calling in publications, social media platforms, and conference presentations. This talk will briefly guide the audience through the history and scientific foundations of the Triad and REDs, providing evidence for and against each as the sole algorithm for athlete health and performance in a debate format, and lastly provide the most recent evidence for an alternative option.

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