1) https://bocarecoverycenter.com/treatment/the-state-of-eating-disorders/
- article The State of Eating Disorders in 2022 by Boca Recovery Center
-…Athletes are a special cathegory of people that commonly struggle with eating disorders, especially those in sports that have a heavy emphasis on body shape, size, weight…In these types of sports, more than 60 percent of women have eating disorders, and a third of male athletes do.
-…Over 10,000 people die from an eating disorder each year… eating disorders have the highest mortality rate out of all mental illnesses
There was a compulsory seminar for coaches from whole country one month ago. One coach asked Sport Doctor and physiotherapist whether they can measure ideal athlete's weight at their Sport Clinic. Coach pointed that it is already a known fact that the "lowest weight" strategy is not paying off. That there is a possibility to find out "ideal weight", which is weight of an athlete which her / his performance is the best with. Both Sport Doctor and physiotherapist didn't know a thing about it. ALL coaches didn't know. When the word "weight" was mentioned for the first time, few coaches laughed.
I was thinking about creating this topic for longer and this moment - no knowledge and the LAUGH of few coaches - persuaded me that figure skating community still underestimate the situation.
Many people from figure skating community are skaters of past generations, they were skating in a time when "the lowest weight" strategy was propagated. It may not be easy for them to accept new approach, but they should try... for the better health of athletes.
I would wish coaches and members of figure skating community to cooperate with people who have education which can protect athlete‘s health better than it looks to be now. Lack of consultation with specialists leads to lack of understanding which leads to underestimating the situation...Visibly it is not in Rehabilitation only, it is also in nutrition area. Because lack of knowledge indeed may create dangerous moments. I do believe that some coaches and other people from figure skating community are educating themselves, but based on skater's statements about eating disorders, it is still not enough.
An athlete being hospitalized for malnutrition...it is not funny at all.
Eating disorders are damaging both physical and mental side of person suffering from the disease.
Revealing diagnosis and starting of treatment can take years.
Although there is some kind of genetic predispositions...
EATING DISORDERS are NOT something what is athlete born with. In my opinion it is the disease where one of the main activating factors come from people from figure skating community, who are pressuring a vulnerable one.
2) https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/eating-disorders/symptoms-causes/syc-20353603 and https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/risk-factors
- According to famous Mayo Clinic -– a history of weight bullying is one of risk factors (together with family history, other mental health issues, dieting and starvation, stress).
- National Eating Disorders Association - determines weight stigma (thinner is better), teasing and appearance of ideal internalization (buying socially defined „ideal body“) like social risk factor of eating disorders.
Pressure can come from any side of figure skating community - coaches, parents, other skaters, members of figure skating club or association, people on Internet (social media with photo filters led to increase of eating diserders among people)...
Every child and teenager is vulnerable one, looking for own identity, they are more prone to be influenced in both positive and negative way.
Dysmorphia - although other people can see an athlete is extremely thin, the athlete sees herself / himself fat or big....it is one of reasons why the start of treatment happens lately than needed.
For years skaters are pushed to lose weight. More skaters mentioned they were not reccomended how...
In my amateurish description...If your body fat percentage is low and you try to lose weight...you will more likely lose muscles...so you will get more tired while having less muscle strenght and movement dynamics which will have a negative impact on your skating. Losing body fat under certain percentage is dangerous. Favourite unhealthy way how to influence weight is to drink less or not drink at all. But dehydratation leads to another health troubles. Starving leads to loss of bone denzity, bones are more prone to injury then.
3) https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://usfigureskatingssmcblogdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/energy-and-macronutrient-intakes-of-elite-figure-skaters.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiOgsLTu_eBAxVXif0HHfkaALgQFnoECA4QBg&usg=AOvVaw3Qrz5xb-mSNfQft9iqI14w
- from Journal of the American Dietetic Association from 2001
- male figure skaters (mean age 18 years) had 6.6% body fat on the average (from 2 to 12%), female figure skaters (mean age 16) had 14.1% body fat on the average (from 9 to 25%)
4) https://www.forbes.com/health/body/body-fat-percentage/
- Forbes article from August 2023
- ...Body fat...It can safely go as low as 10% for women and 3% for men, according to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).
- ...With that said, you do need enough body fat to protect your organs. For instance, vitamins A, D, E and K are all essential nutrients, but without enough body fat, you cannot absorb enough of these specific vitamins...
Too low body fat leads to health problem, more science studies are pointing to that.
5) https://us.humankinetics.com/blogs/excerpt/normal-ranges-of-body-weight-and-body-fat
- an excerpt from Sport Nutrition-2nd Edition
- ...In general, the total body fat percentage (essential plus storage fat) is between 12% and 15% for young men and between 25% and 28% for young women.
- total body fat percentage in different sports:
Sprinters - body fat percentage: male - 8-10%, female - 12-20%
High/long Jumpers - body fat percentage : male - 7-12%, female - 10-18%
Gymnastics - body fat percentage : male - 5-12%, female - 10-16%
(figure skaters were not included)
6) https://www.healthline.com/health/body-water-percentage#too-much-water
- article from 2019 medically reviewed
- percentage of body water:
Male: age 12 to 18 with range: 52-66%, age 19 to 50 with range: 43-73%
Female: age 12 to 18 with range: 49-63%, age 19 to 50 with range: 41-60%
- the risk of dehydratation – heat-related injuries, cramps, urinary tract infections, kidney stones, seizures, sudden drops in blood pressure leading to fainting and falls or hypovolemic shock
7) https://www.biomed.cas.cz/physiolres/pdf/58 Suppl 1/58_S7.pdf
- minireview from 2009
- ...Starvation increases loss of bone mass
8) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271382160_Somatotypes_in_Sport
Somatotypes in sport: I only took description of three Sheldon's somatotypes...
- Ectomorph: the slim and thin type, signs of slenderness predominate, fragility, weak bones and musculature
- Endomorph: The chunky type with a large number of fat cells, rounded shapes, the appearance of softer musculature,
- Mesomorph: the muscular type with a strong skeleton, sharp musculature relief, broad shoulders and thorax, muscular limbs...
People are combination of three somatotypes in different percentage of each.
Compare Yuzuru Hanyu versus Brian Joubert, Lilah Fear versus Mae Berenice Meite...it is definitely NOT thin and "needs to lose weight" skater... it is only different somatotype (combination of different percentage of three somatotypes above).
How are people from figure skating community judging skaters before giving their: "You should lose weight!" advice?
By vision and by weight.
How people see human body is subjective from person to person, even more subjective thanks to different proportions of body, muscle mass, length of limbs, let's say optical illusion as well.
Weight is influenced by, OK, fat, but in case of skaters mainly by somatotype with muscle mass, also bone denzity, bone mass, body water.
If people have no idea about percentage of body fat / muscle / water / minerals / proteins of the skater, they can no way know whether losing weight is indicated and whether an attempt to lose weight is safe.
- article The State of Eating Disorders in 2022 by Boca Recovery Center
-…Athletes are a special cathegory of people that commonly struggle with eating disorders, especially those in sports that have a heavy emphasis on body shape, size, weight…In these types of sports, more than 60 percent of women have eating disorders, and a third of male athletes do.
-…Over 10,000 people die from an eating disorder each year… eating disorders have the highest mortality rate out of all mental illnesses
There was a compulsory seminar for coaches from whole country one month ago. One coach asked Sport Doctor and physiotherapist whether they can measure ideal athlete's weight at their Sport Clinic. Coach pointed that it is already a known fact that the "lowest weight" strategy is not paying off. That there is a possibility to find out "ideal weight", which is weight of an athlete which her / his performance is the best with. Both Sport Doctor and physiotherapist didn't know a thing about it. ALL coaches didn't know. When the word "weight" was mentioned for the first time, few coaches laughed.
I was thinking about creating this topic for longer and this moment - no knowledge and the LAUGH of few coaches - persuaded me that figure skating community still underestimate the situation.
Many people from figure skating community are skaters of past generations, they were skating in a time when "the lowest weight" strategy was propagated. It may not be easy for them to accept new approach, but they should try... for the better health of athletes.
I would wish coaches and members of figure skating community to cooperate with people who have education which can protect athlete‘s health better than it looks to be now. Lack of consultation with specialists leads to lack of understanding which leads to underestimating the situation...Visibly it is not in Rehabilitation only, it is also in nutrition area. Because lack of knowledge indeed may create dangerous moments. I do believe that some coaches and other people from figure skating community are educating themselves, but based on skater's statements about eating disorders, it is still not enough.
An athlete being hospitalized for malnutrition...it is not funny at all.
Eating disorders are damaging both physical and mental side of person suffering from the disease.
Revealing diagnosis and starting of treatment can take years.
Although there is some kind of genetic predispositions...
EATING DISORDERS are NOT something what is athlete born with. In my opinion it is the disease where one of the main activating factors come from people from figure skating community, who are pressuring a vulnerable one.
2) https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/eating-disorders/symptoms-causes/syc-20353603 and https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/risk-factors
- According to famous Mayo Clinic -– a history of weight bullying is one of risk factors (together with family history, other mental health issues, dieting and starvation, stress).
- National Eating Disorders Association - determines weight stigma (thinner is better), teasing and appearance of ideal internalization (buying socially defined „ideal body“) like social risk factor of eating disorders.
Pressure can come from any side of figure skating community - coaches, parents, other skaters, members of figure skating club or association, people on Internet (social media with photo filters led to increase of eating diserders among people)...
Every child and teenager is vulnerable one, looking for own identity, they are more prone to be influenced in both positive and negative way.
Dysmorphia - although other people can see an athlete is extremely thin, the athlete sees herself / himself fat or big....it is one of reasons why the start of treatment happens lately than needed.
For years skaters are pushed to lose weight. More skaters mentioned they were not reccomended how...
In my amateurish description...If your body fat percentage is low and you try to lose weight...you will more likely lose muscles...so you will get more tired while having less muscle strenght and movement dynamics which will have a negative impact on your skating. Losing body fat under certain percentage is dangerous. Favourite unhealthy way how to influence weight is to drink less or not drink at all. But dehydratation leads to another health troubles. Starving leads to loss of bone denzity, bones are more prone to injury then.
3) https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://usfigureskatingssmcblogdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/energy-and-macronutrient-intakes-of-elite-figure-skaters.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiOgsLTu_eBAxVXif0HHfkaALgQFnoECA4QBg&usg=AOvVaw3Qrz5xb-mSNfQft9iqI14w
- from Journal of the American Dietetic Association from 2001
- male figure skaters (mean age 18 years) had 6.6% body fat on the average (from 2 to 12%), female figure skaters (mean age 16) had 14.1% body fat on the average (from 9 to 25%)
4) https://www.forbes.com/health/body/body-fat-percentage/
- Forbes article from August 2023
- ...Body fat...It can safely go as low as 10% for women and 3% for men, according to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).
- ...With that said, you do need enough body fat to protect your organs. For instance, vitamins A, D, E and K are all essential nutrients, but without enough body fat, you cannot absorb enough of these specific vitamins...
Too low body fat leads to health problem, more science studies are pointing to that.
5) https://us.humankinetics.com/blogs/excerpt/normal-ranges-of-body-weight-and-body-fat
- an excerpt from Sport Nutrition-2nd Edition
- ...In general, the total body fat percentage (essential plus storage fat) is between 12% and 15% for young men and between 25% and 28% for young women.
- total body fat percentage in different sports:
Sprinters - body fat percentage: male - 8-10%, female - 12-20%
High/long Jumpers - body fat percentage : male - 7-12%, female - 10-18%
Gymnastics - body fat percentage : male - 5-12%, female - 10-16%
(figure skaters were not included)
6) https://www.healthline.com/health/body-water-percentage#too-much-water
- article from 2019 medically reviewed
- percentage of body water:
Male: age 12 to 18 with range: 52-66%, age 19 to 50 with range: 43-73%
Female: age 12 to 18 with range: 49-63%, age 19 to 50 with range: 41-60%
- the risk of dehydratation – heat-related injuries, cramps, urinary tract infections, kidney stones, seizures, sudden drops in blood pressure leading to fainting and falls or hypovolemic shock
7) https://www.biomed.cas.cz/physiolres/pdf/58 Suppl 1/58_S7.pdf
- minireview from 2009
- ...Starvation increases loss of bone mass
8) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271382160_Somatotypes_in_Sport
Somatotypes in sport: I only took description of three Sheldon's somatotypes...
- Ectomorph: the slim and thin type, signs of slenderness predominate, fragility, weak bones and musculature
- Endomorph: The chunky type with a large number of fat cells, rounded shapes, the appearance of softer musculature,
- Mesomorph: the muscular type with a strong skeleton, sharp musculature relief, broad shoulders and thorax, muscular limbs...
People are combination of three somatotypes in different percentage of each.
Compare Yuzuru Hanyu versus Brian Joubert, Lilah Fear versus Mae Berenice Meite...it is definitely NOT thin and "needs to lose weight" skater... it is only different somatotype (combination of different percentage of three somatotypes above).
How are people from figure skating community judging skaters before giving their: "You should lose weight!" advice?
By vision and by weight.
How people see human body is subjective from person to person, even more subjective thanks to different proportions of body, muscle mass, length of limbs, let's say optical illusion as well.
Weight is influenced by, OK, fat, but in case of skaters mainly by somatotype with muscle mass, also bone denzity, bone mass, body water.
If people have no idea about percentage of body fat / muscle / water / minerals / proteins of the skater, they can no way know whether losing weight is indicated and whether an attempt to lose weight is safe.
