Let’s talk about Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) in Males

Let’s talk about Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) in males 

Last week, I wrote a blog post about my experience of hypothalamic amenorrhoea—a condition where the period stops due to a suppression of the HPO axis, often caused by not balancing stress, recovery, activity and fuel.  

This condition within a sports context is called RED-S a term introduced by the international Olympic council in 2014.

The difference with Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport ( RED-S ) is that it is a condition that affects all genders, all ages, at any level of competition and in those of both normal and low body weight. 

Men experience it too—and the consequences are just as serious.
Any regular exerciser “who has increased their training load, reduced their rest periods, frequently exercises in the fasted state, or who is following an exclusionary diet will also be at increased risk of RED-S.”*

While women may lose their menstrual cycle, in males, RED-S can present as:
• Loss of libido
• Erectile dysfunction
• Low testosterone (relative to age) 
• propensity to stress fractures and minor illnesses. 
• Poor recovery and days of exhaustion and eventually declining performance

And like women it doesn’t always come with weight loss it can even lead to increased visceral fat(fat gain) despite high training volume and lack of energy availability 

And I can’t stress this next part enough … this IS NOT just an adult issue--adolescents of all genders are at risk too, especially those involved in high-level sport, dance, aesthetic sports, or intense training routines.

Calorie needs and rest are often drastically underestimated 

Also as I said above Be aware….
Performance is often not the first thing to decline—your body gives you other red flags first.  

If this sounds familiar or you want to learn more or to read my blog of my personal story read no period now what.  

Drop me a message and I’d be happy to point you toward research, resources, and support.

Here’s one resource for starters, 
https://bjgp.org/content/72/719/295

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