THE REAL HUNGER GAMES: DISORDERED EATING IN MALE ENDURANCE ATHLETES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR BONE HEALTH

n this thesis, I aim to identify the social factors that cause men with disordered eating and negative body images to be neglected in research, explain a possible mechanism for bone injuries in male endurance athletes, and identify sociocultural factors that could make subpopulations of athletes more susceptible to disordered eating, hormone dysfunction, and bone injuries. The consequences of the physiological dysfunction resulting from disordered eating is not limited to the time in which the individual has disordered eating, but can impact the individual for the rest of their life. I will summarize research about female athletes’ patterns of disordered eating and bone injury, and compare and contrast it with research about male athletes. I will then propose some steps to remedy the research gaps and societal unawareness in this topic. I will advocate for including men in research about disordered eating, body image, and relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) and better education of coaches, medical practitioners, and athletic trainers. The evidence presented here demonstrates that men are subject to a similar hormone dysfunction as women when operating in caloric deficits and are at an increased risk for bone injury.