%0 Journal Article
%T Fat intake and injury in female runners
%A Kristen E Gerlach
%A Harold W Burton
%A Joan M Dorn
%A John J Leddy
%A Peter J Horvath
%J Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
%D 2008
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1550-2783-5-1
%X Eighty-six female subjects, running a minimum of 20 miles/week, completed a food frequency questionnaire and informed us about injury incidence over the next year.Injured runners had significantly lower intakes of total fat (63 ¡À 20 vs. 80 ¡À 50 g/d) and percentage of kilocalories from fat (27 ¡À 5 vs. 30 ¡À 8 %) compared with non-injured runners. A logistic regression analysis found that fat intake was the best dietary predictor, correctly identifying 64% of future injuries. Lower energy intake and lower energy availability approached, but did not reach, a significant association with overuse injury in this study.Fat intake is likely associated with injury risk in female runners. By documenting these associations, better strategies can be developed to reduce running injuries in women.The increased popularity of recreational and competitive running among females has led to an increased annual incidence of running-related injuries [1]. These injuries result from a complex interaction of female physiology with numerous risk factors that include sudden increases in training volume or intensity and a history of previous running injuries [1]. With the exception of calcium intake and incidence of stress fractures, though, nutrition as a contributing factor to running injuries has not been well-studied [2-4].Although not yet found to be associated with overuse injury, numerous studies have reported a large negative energy balance in female runners [5-8], with some controversy as to which factor is most important ¨C overestimation of energy expenditure, underestimation of energy intake, enhanced metabolic efficiency, or a true chronic deficiency that results in hormone abnormalities and altered reproductive function [8]. At least one author [8] has argued that the phenomenon of chronic energy deficiency is very real and manifested by a spectrum of reproductive hormone abnormalities that range from the less severe ovarian dysfunctions of follicular/luteal suppression and anovula
%U http://www.jissn.com/content/5/1/1