Not all the studies that investigated all the conditions in the triad , but the authors concluded that it seemed that athletes were in more severe stage of this disorder .
Prevalence of the Female Athlete Triad in High School Athletes and Sedentary Students
Objective : To determine the prevalence of the female athlete triad ( low energy availability , menstrual dysfunction , and low bone mineral density ) in high school varsity athletes in a variety of sports compared with sedentary students/control subjects . Design : Prospect i ve study . Setting : Academic medical center in the Midwest . Participants : Eighty varsity athletes and 80 sedentary students/control subjects volunteered for this study . Intervention : Subjects completed question naires , had their blood drawn , and underwent bone mineral density testing . Main Outcome Measures : Each participant completed screening question naires assessing eating behavior , menstrual status , and physical activity . Each subject completed a 3-day  food diary . Serum hormonal , thyroid-stimulating hormone , and prolactin levels were determined . Bone mineral density and body composition were measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry . Results : Low energy availability was present in similar numbers of athletes ( 36 % ) and sedentary/control subjects ( 39 % ; P = 0.74 ) . Athletes had more menstrual abnormalities ( 54 % ) compared with sedentary students/control subjects ( 21 % ) ( P < 0.001 ) . Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry revealed that 16 % of the athletes and 30 % of the sedentary/control subjects had low bone mineral density ( P = 0.03 ) . Risk factors for reduced bone mineral density include sedentary control student , low body mass index , and increased caffeine consumption . Conclusions : A substantial number of high school athletes ( 78 % ) and a surprising number of sedentary students ( 65 % ) have 1 or more components of the triad . Given the high prevalence of triad characteristics in both groups , education in the formative elementary school years has the potential to prevent several of the components in both groups , therefore improving health and averting long-term complications
Not all the studies that investigated all the conditions in the triad , but the authors concluded that it seemed that athletes were in more severe stage of this disorder .