How Not Eating Enough Affects Elite Triathletes' Health and Performance

Researchers want to understand a common problem among serious endurance athletes: not eating enough calories to match their intense training. This study will follow 40 elite triathletes over two years, measuring hormones, bone density, muscle strength, and injury rates to see how inadequate nutrition affects their bodies and athletic performance.

Many endurance athletes, especially triathletes, eat too little relative to how hard they train. This imbalance can damage hormones, weaken bones, lower immunity, and increase injuries—but we don't yet fully understand how widespread this problem is or how to prevent it in this population.