Are anorexic tendencies prevalent in the habitual runner?

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Sports Psychology
• Endocrinology

Background:

• Anorexia nervosa is a serious eating disorder with distinct psychological and physiological markers.
• Concerns exist regarding potential psychological and physiological adaptations in athletes, particularly runners, due to intense training.
• Understanding these adaptations is crucial for athlete health and well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if high-mileage runners exhibit psychological or physiological abnormalities similar to anorexia nervosa patients.
• To compare personality traits, eating attitudes, body image perception, and hormonal profiles of high-mileage runners, low-mileage runners, and non-running controls.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 31 high-mileage runners, 18 low-mileage runners, and 18 sedentary controls.
• Data collection included questionnaires (demographics, Jackson Personality Inventory, Eating Attitudes Questionnaire), body image assessment, and serum hormone level measurements (testosterone, prolactin, LH, FSH, cortisol, thyroid hormones).

Main Results:

• High-mileage runners reported higher infrequency scores on the Jackson Personality Inventory but showed no psychopathology.
• Significant overestimation of waist width was observed in high-mileage runners, with minor differences in Eating Attitudes Questionnaire scores compared to controls.
• Serum total, free, and non-specifically bound testosterone and prolactin levels were significantly lower in high-mileage runners compared to controls; other hormones showed no significant differences.

Conclusions:

• While high-mileage runners do not display clear abnormalities characteristic of anorexia nervosa, they exhibit altered body image perception and hormonal changes (decreased testosterone and prolactin).
• Running intensity appears to correlate with these physiological effects, as low-mileage runners did not show significant hormonal differences.
• The findings suggest that intense running may have chronic effects on specific hormone levels and body image perception, warranting further investigation into athlete mental and physical health.