Eating problems are a major problem in top sport that deserve more attention, according to NOC-NSF.
The sports association is therefore launching a campaign this Saturday to alert athletes, coaches and sports associations, among others, to the dangers of unhealthy eating behavior.
The face of the campaign is long-distance runner Bart van Nunen, who explains in a video that he consistently ate too little for a long time, because he thought it would make him perform better.
NOC-NSF wants problematic eating behavior to be better identified and treated in the future. “And we would prefer to be able to prevent it,” says Maarten Moen, chief physician of NOC-NSF.
The sports umbrella organization specifically points to the various sports associations that need to tackle this subject “better”, “particularly on the preventive side,” says Moen. “It’s not that they didn’t want it at first, but they often wondered: we know it occurs in our sport, but what exactly can we do?” That is why NOC-NSF also wants to provide the unions with various updated guidelines to provide them with “concrete help”.
Peer pressure
Eating problems or a disturbed relationship with food are common among top athletes. More than beyond, is evident from scientific research. And within that group, it is more common in women than in men, although it certainly also occurs in male athletes. Behaviors associated with an eating disorder include obsessing over food all day, exercising excessively to burn calories, and frequently vomiting after eating. Eating problems can have serious consequences, both in the short and long term.
In the world of top sports, there are various circumstances that can fuel problems with nutrition, says NOC-NSF. Such as “the behavior of the coach and staff members”, “measuring and weighing body composition” and “peer pressure regarding physical appearance”.
In addition, character traits of athletes, such as perfectionism, also play a role. “What we encounter is that nutrition is sometimes a button to turn when athletes are unsure. A way to create certainty,” says Eefje Raedts, chief expert on performance behavior and mental health at NOC-NSF.
The latest NOC-NSF guideline on eating problems and disordered eating behavior is more than ten years old. Since then, scientific knowledge about the effect of eating problems has increased, says Moen. “Many studies have been added about what actually happens if you have a disturbed eating pattern for a long time.”
Prolonged absence of menstruation, a consequence of insufficient energy intake for a long period of time, can have a negative effect on bone density, causing athletes to suffer bone fractures at a young age. The immune system also deteriorates and a long-term disturbed diet affects the gastrointestinal tract and leads to chronic diarrhea or constipation.
Problematic eating behavior also has a strong influence on mental health, says Asker Jeukendrup, chief nutrition expert at NOC-NSF. “That is a very important factor that is often not considered.”
It is difficult to say exactly how often eating problems and disordered eating behavior occur in the Netherlands, as there are no figures available. There is international research, which shows that approximately one in five women suffers from an eating disorder. For men this is one in twelve.
A taboo subject
Eating problems are still a taboo subject, says NOC-NSF. Athletes often keep it secret and will cover up problems, for example by not honestly completing surveys about their physical and mental condition.
And coaches or other staff members may find it a difficult topic to broach. The new NOC-NSF campaign should therefore make eating problems “more open to discussion,” says Jeukendrup. It must become clearer where staff members with suspected unhealthy eating behavior can seek help, he says. “And also if you are that athlete yourself and you feel that things are not going well, but you know what you can do about it. Who can you contact?”
To prevent problematic eating behavior, says Jeukendrup, athletes must be properly supervised, especially if they compete in a weight class, for example. “You have to make a plan: in this phase we are going to pay more attention to weight, in this phase we are going to let it go a little more. Because we can’t work on it 365 days a year. And also: if you train hard you need to have energy in the tank. This is less necessary on a rest day. That everything has been thought about.”
Good language use among doctors, coaches or physiotherapists is just as important, he says. “We can write wonderful documents about that, but I think we will also have to organize workshops in the future. How can a coach talk about the subject of weight if, in their eyes, an athlete is carrying a few pounds too much? How can you approach that in a sensible way?”