Eating Disorders in Collegiate Athletes

Abstract

Collegiate student athletes are exposed to high levels of stress related to his or her academic, athletic, and social competency. Early morning practices, rushed meals, vigorous training regimes, lack of adequate rest, and pressure to perform all make an athlete more susceptible to injury, fatigue, and nutritional deficits. College students are vulnerable to inadequate nutrition due to skipped meals, limited finances, and an unlimited access to foods that are low in nutritional value. Many universities provide student athletes with comprehensive physical therapy and injury rehab programs, but lack the resources for nutritional services, despite the fact that the prevalence of eating disorders in collegiate athletes is rising. Eating disorders are psychological illnesses characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating patterns, Physiological complications include cognitive decline, electrolyte disturbances, muscle loss and weakness, poor wound healing, infertility, and organ failure. Although athletic participation does not cause an individual to have an eating disorder, it has been identified as a risk factor. What often begins as an innocent attempt to maximize an athlete’s performance can result in an eating disorder. External pressures from parents, coaches, and teammates often push athletes to use extreme measures to alter their body composition and performance. The purpose of this thesis paper was to present the benefits of nutritional services for collegiate student athletes by highlighting the relationship between collegiate athletic participation and the potential development of an eating disorder.