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Menstrual abnormalities are associated with negative energy balance and reduced energy expenditure (REE). To examine this relationship in elite adolescent aesthetic athletes, 3 groups of females (aged 15-18 years) were studied: 10 oligo/amenorrheic athletes (OA), 11 eumenorrheic athletes (EA), and 8 non-athlete controls (C). Components of energy balance, body composition, dietary restraint, pubertal maturation, and luteal phase salivary progesterone were assessed in all groups. Both groups of athletes had a later age of menarche and lower pubertal development score compared to the non-athletes (p < or = .05). With the exception of salivary progesterone (ng/ml; OA = 0. 15 +/- 0.01 <EA = 0.29 +/- 0.1 and C = 0.30 +/- 0.13, p = .007), there were no differences between the athlete groups. Energy balance (kcal/d) in the OA group was lower (-290 +/- 677) compared to eitherEA (-5 +/- 461) or C ( 179 +/- 592) but did not reach significance (p =.24). Dietary energy intake and absolute REE (kcal/d) were not different among groups, despite detectable differences in reproductive status, and thus could not be attributed to differences in energy balance or REE.
Alan Parkinson (Thu,) studied this question.