Anorexia and Female Athletes, Part II

Gymnastics

According to the Vanderbilt University Psychology Department, female gymnasts are under extraordinary pressures to maintain small, girlish figures. Growing hips and breasts may inhibit performance.

Moreover, Vanderbilt noted the subjectivity of the judging system. In contrast to sports like running or swimming, where a time is an objective measure of performance, gymnasts' scores can be influenced by an athlete's appearance. The Vanderbilt site recounted the tragic story of Olympic hopeful Christy Henrich. At a meet in Budapest, an American judge told her that she'd have to lose weight to make the U.S. Olympic team. She later died of multiple organ failure brought about by anorexia and bulimia.

Vanderbilt recounted important information from "Dying to Win," a 1994 Sports Illustrated article. According to the article, in addition to instructing them on vaults and dismounts, a large proportion of coaches direct their impressionable, young female athletes on "how to count calories, how to act, what to wear [and] what to say in public."

Vanderbilt noted a 1992 NCAA survey which found that 51 percent of responding gymnastics programs reported eating disorders.

In an interview with InteliHealth, Angela Guarda, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and director of the Eating Disorders Program at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, noted the practice of some coaches to "measure body fat as a team activity and publicly announce what each person's measurement is." This, according to Guarda, pressures athletes to lose weight and increases their risk of developing anorexia.

A disturbing trend noted by Vanderbilt is that svelte, female Olympic gymnasts are getting thinner. According to the site, the average size of the American team declined from 5' 3", 105 pounds in 1976 to 4' 9", 88 pounds in 1992. When 16 year-old Shannon Miller won the 1996 world championships, observed Vanderbilt, she was only 4'10" tall and weighed 79 pounds.

Dr. Guarda said that even Mary Lou Retton, who was husky compared to her teammates, "was still a low weight for her height." The doctor characterized most gymnasts as "markedly underweight."

In addition, Guarda noted that top athletes often have personality traits that predispose them to anorexia. "Typically, they are perfectionist over-achievers who like to please others."

The Female Athlete Triad

Another topic Dr. Guarda discussed was the prevalence of the "Female Athlete Triad." This syndrome consists of disordered eating, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis.

Verle Valentine, M.D., in a January 6, 1998 article for the Warthog Society, a worldwide association of sportsmedicine doctors, explained that the term "Female Athlete Triad" was coined by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) in 1992. Dr. Valentine added that in 1997 ACSM published a position paper saying that the Triad is not only found in elite athletes but "also in physically active girls and women participating in a wide range of activities." She added that "the Triad is often denied, not recognized, and under reported."

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