PMID- 37892531
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20231030
LR  - 20231030
IS  - 2072-6643 (Electronic)
IS  - 2072-6643 (Linking)
VI  - 15
IP  - 20
DP  - 2023 Oct 20
TI  - Considerations of Low Carbohydrate Availability (LCA) to Relative Energy 
      Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) in Female Endurance Athletes: A Narrative Review.
LID - 10.3390/nu15204457 [doi]
LID - 4457
AB  - The purpose of this narrative review is to identify health and performance 
      consequences associated with LCA in female endurance athletes. The intake of 
      carbohydrates (CHO) before, during, and after exercise has been demonstrated to 
      support sport performance, especially endurance activities which rely extensively 
      on CHO as a fuel source. However, low energy availability (LEA) and low 
      carbohydrate availability (LCA) are common in female athletes. LEA occurs when 
      energy intake is insufficient compared to exercise energy expenditure, and 
      LEA-related conditions (e.g., Female Athlete Triad (Triad) and Relative Energy 
      Deficiency in Sport (RED-S)) are associated with a myriad of health and 
      performance consequences. The RED-S model highlights 10 health consequences and 
      10 performance consequences related to LEA. The independent effect of LCA on 
      health and performance has been under-researched, despite current CHO intake 
      being commonly insufficient in athletes. It is proposed that LCA may not only 
      contribute to LEA but also have independent health and performance consequences 
      in athletes. Furthermore, this review highlights current recommendations for CHO 
      intake, as well as recent data on LCA prevalence and menstrual cycle 
      considerations. A literature review was conducted on PubMed, Science Direct, and 
      ResearchGate using relevant search terms (i.e., "low carbohydrate/energy 
      availability", "female distance runners"). Twenty-one articles were identified 
      and twelve met the inclusion criteria. The total number of articles included in 
      this review is 12, with 7 studies illustrating that LCA was associated with 
      direct negative health and/or performance implications for endurance-based 
      athletes. Several studies included assessed male athletes only, and no studies 
      included a female-only study design. Overall, the cumulative data show that 
      female athletes remain underrepresented in sports science research and that 
      current CHO intake recommendations and strategies may fail to consider 
      female-specific adaptations and hormone responses, such as monthly fluctuations 
      in estrogen and progesterone throughout the menstrual cycle. Current CHO 
      guidelines for female athletes and exercising women need to be audited and 
      explored further in the literature to support female athlete health and 
      performance.
FAU - Lodge, Melissa T
AU  - Lodge MT
AUID- ORCID: 0009-0001-9315-6746
AD  - Department of Kinesiology, College of Health Sciences, University of Rhode 
      Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA.
FAU - Ward-Ritacco, Christie L
AU  - Ward-Ritacco CL
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0002-7565-3490
AD  - Department of Kinesiology, College of Health Sciences, University of Rhode 
      Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA.
FAU - Melanson, Kathleen J
AU  - Melanson KJ
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0002-4114-7266
AD  - Department of Nutrition, College of Health Sciences, University of Rhode Island, 
      Kingston, RI 02881, USA.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Review
DEP - 20231020
PL  - Switzerland
TA  - Nutrients
JT  - Nutrients
JID - 101521595
RN  - 0 (Carbohydrates)
SB  - IM
MH  - Humans
MH  - Male
MH  - Female
MH  - Nutritional Status
MH  - Athletes
MH  - *Sports
MH  - Energy Intake
MH  - Energy Metabolism
MH  - *Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport
MH  - Carbohydrates
PMC - PMC10609849
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - carbohydrates (CHO)
OT  - female athletes
OT  - low carbohydrate availability (LCA)
OT  - low energy availability (LEA)
OT  - menstrual cycle
OT  - relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S)
COIS- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
EDAT- 2023/10/28 11:48
MHDA- 2023/10/30 06:46
PMCR- 2023/10/20
CRDT- 2023/10/28 01:04
PHST- 2023/09/13 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2023/10/11 00:00 [revised]
PHST- 2023/10/16 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2023/10/30 06:46 [medline]
PHST- 2023/10/28 11:48 [pubmed]
PHST- 2023/10/28 01:04 [entrez]
PHST- 2023/10/20 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - nu15204457 [pii]
AID - nutrients-15-04457 [pii]
AID - 10.3390/nu15204457 [doi]
PST - epublish
SO  - Nutrients. 2023 Oct 20;15(20):4457. doi: 10.3390/nu15204457.