RED-S can be very serious and lead to long-term health problems but most can recover with the right knowledge and support.
What does RED-S stand for?
Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport.
What is energy deficiency?
Energy deficiency is when you burn more calories throughout the day and during training than you consumed. The “energy balance” is the balance of calories consumed through eating and drinking versus calories burned through sport, exercise, and activity. When the balance is negative you become energy deficient.
What are RED-S symptoms?
Symptoms of RED-S include (but aren’t limited to):
- Erratic periods (shorter, longer, lighter, gone)
- Feeling cold
- Weight loss
- Anxiety around food and training
- Tiredness
- Injury
- Changes in sleep patterns
- Lowered performance
- Low mood, anxiety and depression
Who is at risk of RED-S?
Everyone is at risk of RED-S. Male or female, high performance or amateur, RED-S is caused by underfuelling and anyone can eat too little.
How common is RED-S?
There’s not too much research into it, but studies have found that underfuelling affects between 40 and 60% of collegiate female endurance athletes.
How do you get RED-S?
RED-S is caused by underfuelling. We consume fewer calories than we expend through the day and during training.
Can you recover from RED-S?
Yes. To recover from RED-S you need to examine where you’ve gone wrong with your training and fuelling, and correct it. You might be intentionally underfuelling (to make weight or due to an eating disorder), or unintentionally underfuelling – ie you didn’t notice you’re in a calorie deficit.
What is the difference between the female athlete Triad and RED-S?
In 1992 the American College of Sports medicine introduced the term ‘Female Athlete Triad’ to describe disordered eating (with or without an eating disorder), menstrual disturbance and low bone density in physically active women.
In 2014 the International Olympic Committee defined a new syndrome: ‘Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport’ (RED-S), expanding the Triad concept to encompass the wide-ranging effects of an energy deficit on physiological functioning, performance and general health. RED-S describes the central importance of energy availability on health and performance in both sexes.
In short, RED-S described the wide-ranging effects of low energy availability beyond the conditions contained in the Triad.
Where do I get help with RED-S?
To many, RED-S remains a mystery. Often, athletes, coaches and doctors are unaware of the condition and its serious implications.
Raising awareness about RED-S is vital, not just to support those suffering, but to prevent a lack of knowledge that’ll cause future athletes to suffer.
The best resource on RED-S that we’ve found so far is Project RED-S, run by Pippa Woolven. This amazing resource is split into athlete, coach and supporter sections.
Head over to Project RED-S to learn more
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