On the second episode of The Outdoor Athlete, we’re in conversation with Dr Nicky Keay, who is an expert in sports and dance Endocrinology. Nicky works closely with the British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine (BASEM; https://www.basem.co.uk) and in conjunction with BASEM and a number of colleagues, has been working to increase awareness of RED-S amongst athletes, dancers and active people.
This episode addresses some of the potential performance and health issues that may be encountered in an athlete who either inadvertently or intentionally enters a low energy availability state. We discuss RED-S generally and Nicky gives some guidance to medical professionals on how to approach a person with these potential issues along with a host of other information for athletes and coaches.
Resources that we refer to in this episode include:
www.health4performance.co.uk- an excellent resource for athletes, dancers, parents, coaches, governing organisations and anyone working with athletes of all levels.
https://nickykeayfitness.com/about/- more about Nicky.
Keay, N., Francis, G. & Hind, K. (2018) Low energy availability assessed by a sport-specific questionnaire and clinical interview indicative of bone health, endocrine profile and cycling performance in competitive male cyclists BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine;4:e000424. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2018-000424.
Full text: https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/4/1/e000424
Mountjoy, M., Sundgot-Borgen, J.K., Burke, L.M., et al (2018)IOC consensus statement on relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S): 2018 update Br J Sports Med 2018;52:687-697.
The 2018 International Olympic Committee statement on RED-S – useful resource – PAYWALL – however the article below is the 2014 paper from the same team and is free to view. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/52/11/687
Mountjoy, M. Sundgot-Borgen, Burke, L., et al.(2014)The IOC consensus statement: beyond the Female Athlete Triad—Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) Br J Sports Med; 48:491-497.
Full Text: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/48/7/491