Eating Disorders in Female High School Athletes

Eating disorders impact a female athlete's body in many ways. The heart realizes that there is not enough nutrition to go around to the body, so it slows down the blood going to different parts of your body. When exercising, the blood is not flowing to the muscles as fast as you need it to, so you start to feel fatigued and short of breath and could even pass out. Since your muscles, including your cardiac muscles, aren't getting as much protein as they need, the muscles can start to break down in order to give your body energy. This can be detrimental and the body will not be able to perform adequately. Performance levels will decrease drastically and the chance of injury increases. Girls can lose their periods because the body is not producing enough estrogen due to malnutrition. The bones can become soft and brittle leading to more serious injuries. There can be damage to the kidneys and digestive system. In some cases, there can be damage to the mouth, teeth, and esophagus. All of these physical effects from an eating disorder will affect the female athlete's body, and they will ultimately not be able to participate and train in sports. Their bodies will not be able to perform day to day activities.

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