THE | DIET DETECTIVE^®

Female athlete triad is comprised of three different elements: a deficient eating pattern, which triggers a change in the menstrual cycle and leads to osteoporosis, according to Jaci VanHeest, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the department of kinesiology at the University of Connecticut. What's so sneaky about the triad is that it's easy for women to believe they don't fit the mold for all three parts of the condition, VanHeest says. To best understand if you are at risk, here's what you should know:

Disordered eating pattern
You don't have to have an eating disorder, such as anorexia or bulimia, to have a disordered eating pattern, according to VanHeest. Really, it's a question of simple arithmetic. If you are burning more calories then you are taking in, you are not in energy balance. Many women will also restrict their diets in an attempt to maintain or lose weight, or to follow a certain diet they think will make them faster, leaner or smarter. If you consciously cut out an entire food group, you're not eating normally, VanHeest says.

Amenorrhea
If you're burning an excess of calories compared with the number you take in over an extended period of time, you'll start to lose body fat. Lose enough body fat and the brain may signal the ovaries to stop producing estrogen. When that happens, a woman's menstrual cycle will shift. Amenorrhea is usually diagnosed if a woman misses three regular cycles in a row. If you alter your menstrual cycle, you could affect your reproductive system, and if you lose estrogen, you lose a hormone that aids in the calcium absorption.

Osteoporosis
You accumulate most of your bone density by age 30, which means that if you're osteoporotic before then, you may never be able to regain the calcium you could have stored up. Without strong bones you're susceptible to stress fractures and other fractures that cannot only sideline you from athletics but also from daily activities.

All this said, it's important to remember that exercise is good for you. You just need to keep the right balance in mind. As doctors are learning more about female athlete triad, physicians, psychologists and nutritionists are finding better ways to educate athletes and keep them strong, for the short and long run.