RESPONSE

Abstract

Dear Editor-in-Chief: It is no surprise that nonathletes may have one or all components of the female athlete triad (the Triad) since eating disorders are widespread among young women today. However, our primary concern in our research is the athlete (3-5). Fortunately, the IOC has now published a Triad consensus statement (1). The purpose of this statement is to educate all those in the sports world about the dangers of pressuring athletes to lose weight, not to discourage them from participating. Likewise, our concern for the health of athletes using restrictive eating and other methods to lose weight in no way negates the physical, psychological, and social benefits of sport for the majority of women. Because we want to have the best information available for policy makers related to sport and exercise for women and girls, it is imperative that we study the possible causes, best ways to identify early symptoms, prevalence, and treatment strategies of the Triad. We will only know the full impact of the Triad on athletes and the long-term consequences if we continue to study the Triad and issues related to food, weight and training. The development of both internal and external validity takes time and many research studies. Examining the Triad issues in active girls and women is time consuming, thus, it will take more time before all the data are available to establish external validity. Finally, we would like to point out that many of the same women who worked to open the doors of opportunity for women in the sports world are now working equally hard to be sure they are not subjected to pressures that put their health-and even their lives-at risk because the danger of striving for thinness is not recognized. We also call attention to the death of Christi Heinrich, the abortive suicide attempts of two United States runners that left them paralyzed as the outcome of eating disorders, and the fact that 5% of Norwegian female elite athletes reported that they had attempted or planned suicide (2). These occurrences deserve attention; they should result in prevention of eating disorders, and they underline the importance of taking the Triad disorders seriously. Monica Klungland Torstveit Jorunn Sundgot-Borgen The Norwegian University of Sports and Physical Education Oslo, Norway