Failing to fuel correctly can lead to serious problems

Failing to fuel correctly can lead to health issues such as stress fractures, particularly in female athletes

FEMALE RUNNERS are at higher risk of being sidelined through a stress fracture – and that’s even more the case when they don’t fuel or fail to recover adequately. A recent study1 found that underweight female runners were more likely to suffer stress fractures, alongside other health issues.

Renee McGregor, a sports dietitian who specialises in eating disorders, and who is also co-founder of Train Brave (trainbrave. org), says: ‘When you are under-fuelled, the body prioritises movement – such as running – but shuts down other biological functions, such as periods. If your period becomes erratic, lighter, more frequent or stops altogether, these are all signs that you’re under-fuelling.’

When women are on the pill, it can hide the problem, says McGregor. Then when they come off it, perhaps in their early-to-mid-thirties when they’re trying to have children, they find they don’t have a period.

And this also has a knock-on impact from an injury perspective. ‘When you don’t ovulate, you don’t produce oestrogen, which protects your bones,’ she says. ‘Low oestrogen levels also mean you won’t get an adaptation from training, as you won’t be producing any growth hormone, so you can’t create lean muscle mass. Injury is often the result.’