Potteiger and his KU colleagues work to put scientific information within the grasp of athletes.
Young women are particularly vulnerable.
Losing too much body fat can force the body to respond abnormally. The human body is just phenomenal, but it responds to exercise as it does to any other stress. For female endurance athletes, reducing body fat too much can result in an abnormal menstrual cycle, or amenorrhea. Amenorrhea occurs for 5 percent to 15 percent of female athletes, but the key issue is the loss of bone mass. KU's exercise physiologists help athletes achieve their best by researching the way the body responds to training and conditioning and products touted to improve performance.