Eating Recovery Center In the News: EverydayHealth.com

Eating Disorders among Athletes: Common or Uncommon? In the latest installment on her weekly EverydayHealth.com blog, Chief Marketing Officer Julie Holland, MHS, CEDS, features a Q&A with Page Love, MS, RD, CSSD, LD. As owner of NutriFit, Sport, Therapy, Inc. and consultant to the Atlanta Braves, WTA and ATP tennis tours and USTA Player Development, Love shares her insights on the incidence of eating disorders and compulsive exercise behaviors among athletes. Q: If someone is an athlete, they’re typically perceived as healthy, active and eating right. Are eating disorders among athletes really that common? A: I don’t believe that eating disorders in athletes are significantly more common than in the general public, but certain categories of athletics, such as "thinness demand" sports, are definitely at higher risk for increased incidence levels. Some “thinness demand” sports include cross-country running, gymnastics, dance, synchronized swimming, wrestling, being a jockey for horse racing and ski jumping. In these sports, scant athletic clothing or perceived “ideal” body types for each sport can influence athletes to strive for unrealistic ideals. Read more of the interview with Page Love here.