Prevalence of disordered eating patterns and menstrual status in japanese female athletes / 体力科学

This study investigated the desire and its reasons for weight loss, the prevalence of disordered eating patterns and menstrual status, by using written questionnaires and Eating Attitude Test-26 (EAT-26), in Japanese female athletes (n=1000) and nonathletic controls (n=593) . Athletes were divided into the following 6 categories : technical (n=84), endurance I (n=84) and II (n=76), aesthetic (n=120), ball-game (n=447), and power sports (n=189) . Endurance I consisted of athletes competing in sports where leanness were considered important, while endurance II consisted of athletes competing in sports where leanness is less important. In each category, about four fifths of the athletes wanted to reduce their present weight. As to the reasons for weight loss, the athletes, especially those in the categories of endurance I (79%), power (52%) and aesthetic (34%) sports, reported that they prefer to be thin for improving their athletic performance. The prevalence of disordered eating patterns estimated by EAT-26 was significantly higher (P<0.05) in the athletes of endurance I (20%) and aesthetic (12%) groups than in the nonathletic controls (3 %) . In the athletes of these two sporting event categories, higher rates of amenorrhea (endurance I 20% and aesthetic 7 % vs. nonathlets 1 %) were found to be accompanied by lower values of obesity index and BMI. These data indicate a significantly higher prevalence of disordered eating patterns and menstrual dysfunction in the athletes involved in sports where leanness is emphasized, and a close relationship among undernutrition, low body weight and menstrual dysfunction.

ON THE ENERGY METABOLISM OF ROPE SKIPPING / 体力科学

In this study, energy consumption of three types of basic rope skipping was measured, together with an investigation of work intensities. The subjects were 5 healthy adult male. The results of this study were as follows :<BR>1) The average relative metabolic rate (RMR) of 1 skip (one skip to one forwardturn of rope), 2 skip (double skip to one forward-turn of rope) and running skip were 13.6, 11.7 and 10.3, respectively, and it was noted that work intensities decrease in order of 1 skip, 2 skp and running skip.<BR>2) On the three types of five minute rope skipping, the oxygen intake for the last one minute of exercise of 1 skip was equivalent to 63.7-78.0% of maximal oxygen intake, and in cases of 2 skip and running skip were 57.5-76.3% and 56.8-67.2%, respectively.<BR>3) When skip frequencies of 1 skip were 92, 120 and 156 skips/min, respectively, oxy-gen requirement for 120 skips/min was the lowest, therefore, it was noted that skip fre-quency of 120 skips/min was optimal.