Athletes face unique challenges that can affect their relationship with food and their bodies.
Rogers Behavioral Health’s Laina Nelson, M.A., M.S., doctoral psychology intern, Eating Disorder Recovery residential care for adults, explains how sport-specific demands can lead to unhealthy eating patterns and behaviors.
Why can athletes develop eating disorders?
Many factors can contribute to an athlete or non-athlete developing or continuing an eating disorder. These may include perfectionism, trauma, and an achievement-based personality. However, athletes experience additional sports-related pressures, such as:
- Gendered body expectations
- The nature of sporting uniforms
- Pressure and narratives around dieting for performance enhancement
- Competitiveness, injury, retirement, or exit from sports
The role of athletic identity
Many of these can be influenced by and connected to something called athletic identity, which is how much someone identifies with being an athlete. It can affect how athletes view their bodies and other behaviors. This is due to the specific pressures, expectations, and competitive nature within sports combined with sport-specific body “ideals.” This looks different from sport to sport. For example:
In aesthetic sports, like figure skating, swim and dive, or gymnastics, athletes may feel pressure to look a certain way to “fit the mold.”
In weight-class or weight-related sports, like rowing, boxing, or wrestling, athletes may engage in behaviors to make a certain weight.
In endurance sports, like cycling, track and field, or cross country, athletes may give in to narratives around body size for the sake of enhancing performance.
When these factors come together, they can lead to body image concerns or eating disorder behaviors.
How sports culture can contribute to eating disorders
As we know, in sports, much of the culture can include doing “whatever it takes” to be an athlete.
Body ideals
When it comes to body image, athletes often internalize society’s “thin ideal,” which emphasizes slenderness and low body fat. In athletics, this can often be combined with the “fit ideal,” which focuses on being lean and toned with visible muscle. It’s an unrealistic expectation for body composition. It’s also been shown to lead to increased pressure around food, eating behaviors, and compulsive exercise, even if these behaviors aren’t recognized as harmful within a sport environment.
How praise can increase risk
The competitive nature of sports, in addition to what society considers “athletic,” can influence athletes’ body image and eating behaviors. They may be praised for behaviors that align with being a “successful athlete,” which could also be signs of an eating disorder. Examples include pushing limits when it comes to training or exercising, being rigid about foods they’re eating, or ignoring internal cues, such as hunger or pain. Sports culture often emphasizes pushing through discomfort.
Focus on performance
Much of the mindset within sports is hidden behind “performance enhancement,” or wanting to improve. The desire to feel successful or perform well isn’t bad! But it can encourage, and even reinforce, disordered eating, sometimes to the point of developing an eating disorder. Eating disorders negatively impact athletes’ overall health and performance.
How common are eating disorders among athletes?
The study of eating disorders within athletics is still a growing field, but we know that eating disorders are very common among athletes. However, they’re often missed due to the eating disorder behaviors being normalized or even encouraged with the goal of looking a certain way, being a “dedicated” athlete, or improving performance.
A 2022 study says that 84% of athletes questioned reported having engaged in disordered eating patterns or weight control behaviors at one time. This has certainly increased since the 2020 pandemic. It continues to be important to provide support and resources to athletes.
What are common eating disorder behaviors among athletes?
Eating disorders look very different from person to person. However, there are some common behaviors in sports that can look like control, leadership, or dedication, even when the athlete is struggling.
Three behaviors include:
1. Restricting food in the name of “athletic eating”: Some athletes may limit how much they eat in an effort to improve performance. Because this can be normalized within teams, families, or society, it may not always be recognized as concerning.
2. Excessive exercising or overtraining. This may include exercising outside of assigned times with the team or exceeding an overall load for the athlete. Many times, athletes do this to improve in their sport. Other times, it can be tied to food rules, such as a “burn to earn” mentality around food and calories.
3. Having rigid food rules: It could begin with the intention of eating in ways that support their training and energy output. However, over time, it may become increasingly rigid to include cutting out certain foods or food groups, worrying about being judged by others on their team for food choices, and counting calories. These behaviors can be a slippery slope into disordered eating and anxiety around food and exercise.
Recognizing eating disorder signs in athletes
There are many warning signs that can include mental, behavioral, and physical symptoms. They may be “hidden in plain sight” or hard to recognize. Others may be more noticeable.
Mental symptoms may include:
- Worry or distress about body weight or weigh-ins
- Feeling like you must weigh less to perform better
- Being highly competitive
- Needing to have a sense of control
Behavioral symptoms may include:
- Increasing exercise routines and feeling distressed if you miss a workout
- Avoiding rest days or feeling uncomfortable when you’re not training
- Struggling to balance training with proper rest and recovery, which are essential for a healthy athletic lifestyle
- Eating habit changes, such as avoiding meals with family, friends, or teammates, especially if you used to eat with others regularly
- Communicating body concerns
Physical signs may include:
- Menstrual dysfunction or inconsistency
- Fatigue
- Sleep disturbance
- “Always feeling cold”
These aren’t comprehensive lists. Everyone experiences eating disorder symptoms differently. I encourage you to learn more about these patterns.
Are athletes in certain sports more likely to develop an eating disorder?
Athletes in any sport can develop an eating disorder. As mentioned earlier, research has shown that athletes who participate in sports that focus on aesthetics, weight classes, or endurance can experience pressures in their sport’s culture which can contribute to disordered eating or body image concerns.
This may include external and internal pressures around “looking the part,” a desire for a lean body type for performance and/or appearance, and sport-specific standards, like in wrestling, related to body weight or composition. Sometimes, behaviors related to eating disorders can seem normal, or even expected, within a sport. This can lead athletes to develop unsafe or disordered eating habits.
How can I support my loved one?
Trying to support an athlete who is struggling may feel challenging at times. They may not see their behaviors as harmful. I recommend the following as starting points:
- Share changes you’ve noticed in a way that is nonjudgmental and supportive.
- Approach it from a place of curiosity and care.
- Have resources on hand. Some great options for athletes and their loved ones are Project REDs and Hidden Opponent.
- Be willing to do your homework and find the right treatment. You’ll want to find someone trained in eating disorders and athletics.
It’s important to note that the athlete’s overall life and health are more important than performance. We must ensure their safety and care.
Click here to hear how U.S. biathlete Paul Schommer found hope and healing at Rogers.
Rogers offers eating disorder treatment
If you or a loved one is struggling with an eating disorder, hope and healing are within reach. Our compassionate teams provide effective mental health treatment for a healthier way forward.
Call 833-308-5887 for a free, confidential screening.
Eating disorders in athletes can develop due to a combination of factors, including perfectionism, competitiveness, body image concerns, sports culture, performance pressure, and sport-specific expectations about weight or appearance.
Warning signs may include restrictive eating, excessive exercise, rigid food rules, body dissatisfaction, fatigue, sleep problems, avoiding rest days, and increased anxiety about weight, food, or performance.
Eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors are common among athletes and may be underrecognized because certain unhealthy behaviors are often normalized within sports environments.
Yes. Sports culture can sometimes reinforce unhealthy attitudes about body size, weight, exercise, and performance. Athletes may be praised for behaviors that increase the risk of disordered eating.
Athletes in any sport can develop an eating disorder. However, the risk may be higher in sports that emphasize appearance, weight classes, or endurance, such as gymnastics, wrestling, swimming, diving, rowing, and distance running.
Parents can approach the athlete with curiosity and concern, discuss changes they’re noticing without judgment, learn about eating disorders, and seek support from professionals experienced in both eating disorders and athletics.
