Prevalence of the triad is hard to assess because data is limited to a few studies. Most of the women with the triad are dedicated athletes, very motivated, achievement oriented, and have a strong work ethic. Within the triad are the classic eating disorders. They often appear very thin and have low body weight for their height and low body fat. Thus, attempts to lose weight increase the athlete's risk of developing an eating disorder.
Many gymnasts diet and attempt to lose weight to improve athletic performance.
He reports that, more specifically, the higher the body fat, the poorer the performance. Subjects were the top 36 finishers in the allaround competition at the 1991 World Gymnastic Championships. The purpose of the research was to determine the relationship between thinness and performance in elite gymnasts. The results showed that a lower body mass index appeared to be related to better performance, but performance became poorer as body mass index became very low. Thus, even though weight loss typically results in enhanced athletic performance, there is a point beyond which continued weight loss will lead to poorer performance.