The Female Athlete Triad: The Dangers of Disordered Eating and Excess Exercise
The Female Athlete Triad is a combination of illnesses that can seriously endanger athletically-driven girls or women who feel intense societal pressure to stay thin. The triad’s three interrelated conditions—disordered eating, menstrual dysfunction and premature osteoporosis—occur when a girl or woman takes dieting and exercise to an extreme. Women can develop one, two or all three components of the triad, and they all can seriously hinder athletic performance and damage long-term health.