Scientific Programme
Sports and Exercise Medicine and Health
IS-MH01 - REDs Prevention: Navigating Barriers and Harnessing Opportunities
Date: 01.07.2025, Time: 12:00 - 13:15, Session Room: Arco
Description
Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) is common among female and male athletes representing various sports at different performance levels, and the underlying cause is problematic (severe/long-term) low energy availability (LEA). It is essential to prevent problematic LEA to decrease the risk of serious health aspects such as impaired bone health and eating disorders as well as performance consequences such as sport injuries. This Symposium will address REDs primary, secondary and tertiary prevention strategies targeting researchers as well as coaches, the athlete health and performance team and sport organisations.
Chair(s)
Anna Melin
Sports Science, Linnaeus University
Sweden
Navigating Body Composition and Weight Issues in REDs Management
A higher power-to-weight ratio can enhance performance outcomes across various sports disciplines and is typically achieved through modifications in body composition, such as increased lean mass and/or reduced fat mass Additionally, there is a widespread belief within the sports community that reduced body weight or maintaining a low body weight contributes to improved athletic performance. However, an excessive focus on maintaining a low body weight and specific body composition for performance, coupled with frequent anthropometric assessments, can lead to body dissatisfaction, body image disturbances, and disordered eating and training behaviors. These behaviors can result in problematic low energy availability (LEA) and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs). Moreover, the fear of undesired weight gain may deter athletes experiencing REDs symptoms from optimizing their energy availability. This presentation will address strategies for managing body composition and weight issues within the sporting environment to prevent REDs and eating disorders.
Speaker B
Anthony Hackney
University of North Carolina, Department of Exercise & Sport Science
United States
Read CVECSS Rimini 2025: IS-MH01
Translating REDs Biomarkers: Enhancing Practitioner Understanding and Interpretation
The 2023 IOC Consensus statement on REDs presented a revision of the clinical assessment tool (CAT) to appraise the severity/risk of REDs syndrome development. The new tool is referred to as the ‘REDs CAT2’ which utilizes a number of primary and secondary indicators (biomarkers) to assess athlete severity and risk status using a stoplight model – green = none, yellow = mild, orange = moderate to high, red = very high/extreme (i.e., with multiple levels of biomarkers used for classification). These biomarkers are essential for secondary prevention strategies. However, assessing and interpreting the various biomarkers can be challenging for the practitioner as many of these markers require research or clinical backgrounds to understand fully. To that end, this presentation will: 1) provide an overview of what are the biomarkers utilized in the REDs CAT2, 2) discuss the importance of standardized methodology for measuring the biomarkers, and 3) explain translationally what changes in such biomarkers mean or denote for the athlete relative to performance and health. The overarching theme herein will be to focus on discussing these topics in a clear and useful approach for the practitioners.
Speaker C
Monica K Torstveit
University of Agder, Faculty of Health and Sport Science
Norway
Read CVECSS Rimini 2025: IS-MH01
The Mind and REDs. Overcoming Psychological Hurdles in prevention
Although the physical harm caused by problematic low energy availability (LEA) in athletes has been extensively researched and documented, the psychological risk factors and the subsequent consequences related to psychological problems and psychological health are less understood. In order to prevent REDs, it is crucial to understand the different attitudes, habits, and behaviours associated with problematic LEA, and whether they are intentional or unintentional. The psychological indicators associated with problematic LEA and REDs include cognitive dietary restraint, perfectionistic tendencies, drive for thinness, mood disturbances, and reduced sleep quality. Other adverse psychological health outcomes associated with problematic LEA and REDs are affective disorders, depressive symptoms, reduced well-being, anxiety related to injury and/or recovery, exercise dependence or addiction, and sport-specific issues such as coping with weight requirements and developing eating disorders. Moreover, under-fuelling may be driven by distorted thoughts, cognitive restraint, perfectionism, disordered body image, body dysmorphia, unregulated emotions, compulsive drive for thinness, and/or compulsive exercise. Thus, it is of utmost importance to increase our understanding of these psychological factors in order to prevent and manage athletes with problematic LEA and REDs. This presentation will therefore focus on 1) How to reduce psychological risk factors and improve psychological protective factors in order to prevent REDs from developing (primary prevention), 2) How to early identify symptoms of psychological problems related to REDs and prevent them from evolving to more serious psychological health problems (secondary prevention), and 3) How to manage athletes with more severe psychological health problems related to REDs (tertiary prevention).