Table 6

Methods (preferred, used and recommended, and potential) for studying various health and performance outcomes of REDs

Health outcomeMethods and notes
Impaired reproductive function Preferred
  • Overnight sampling of LH and FSH324

  • Menstruating females: phase-based hormonal approach using urinary ovulation kits (testing mid-cycle LH surge) and blood sampling287

  • Postpubertal males: morning total and free testosterone level325 326


Used and recommended
  • Females: self-reported menstrual history, urinary ovulation testing,287 327 LEAF-Q171

  • Males: self-reported libido/morning erection (eg, LEAM-Q328 or ADAM-Q111 329)

Impaired bone health Preferred
  • DXA123 330

    • Using age-appropriate and medically appropriate body-site scanning330

    • Using age-appropriate, sex-appropriate and activity-appropriate interpretation (eg, Z-score vs T-score)


Used and recommended
  • Bone stress injury and fracture history


Potential
  • HRpQCT

Impaired gastrointestinal function Preferred
  • Oesophageal motility: oesophageal manometry, barium swallow

  • GERD: upper endoscopy

  • Gastric motility: electrogastrography331 332

  • Gastroparesis: gastric emptying study

  • Pancreatitis: ≥2 of: (a) lipase >3× upper limit of normal; (b) imaging findings consistent with pancreatitis; (c) characteristic epigastric pain

  • Intestinal transit: radiopaque marker study,333 orocaecal transit time test334 335

  • SMA syndrome: upper GI oral contrasted study, MRI or CT336–338


Used and recommended
  • GERD: many questionnaires,339 including GerdQ340

  • Constipation: Wexner Constipation Score,341 Bristol Stool Scale342

  • Diarrhoea: Bristol Stool Scale342

  • Irritable bowel syndrome: Rome IV Criteria343

    Elevated transaminases344 345

  • Defecatory disorders, faecal incontinence346: Faecal Incontinence Questionnaire,8 347 Faecal Incontinence Severity Index (FISI),348 Altomare’s Obstructed Defecation Scale (ODS) score349

  • Multiple GI symptoms: Rome II questionnaire350

  • GI symptoms during exercise351 352

  • LEAF-Q GI subsection score ≥2 indicative of LEA214 353

  • Athlete-specific GI symptom inventory354

  • Feeding challenge during exercise334 355


Potential
  • Intestinal transit: wireless motility capsule

  • Gut bacterial profile

  • Faecal or plasma short-chain fatty acid concentration

Impaired energy metabolism/regulation Preferred
  • Thyroid function tests: TSH, free T4, total and free T3165

  • Leptin: overnight sampling356

  • Cortisol: overnight sampling,179 24-hour urinary free cortisol357

  • Laboratory/expert-controlled measurements/estimates of all compartmentalised energetic intakes and total daily expenditures (exercise, non-exercise activity, basal metabolic rate, thermic effect of food)358


Used and recommended
  • Cortisol: morning serum cortisol, late-night salivary cortisol357

  • RMR: indirect calorimetry,359 room calorimetry311

Impaired haematological status Preferred
  • CBC with differential

  • Iron studies (iron, ferritin, transferrin, total iron binding capacity) with age-appropriate, sex-appropriate and laboratory-appropriate cut-offs

  • Carbon monoxide haemoglobin mass measurement360 361


Used and recommended
  • Self-reported history of iron deficiency or anaemia


Potential
  • App-based self-assessment362

Urinary incontinence Preferred
  • Stress urinary incontinence: bladder stress test363

  • International Consultation on Incontinence-Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI-SF)230 231

  • 3 Incontinence Questionnaire (3IQ)364


Potential
  • Pelvic Floor Dysfunction-ScrEeNing Tool IN fEmale athLetes (PFD-SENTINEL)365

Impaired glucose and lipid metabolism Preferred
  • Fasting blood glucose (serial measures)366

  • Fasting insulin366

  • Lipid panel: HDL, LDL, total cholesterol, triglycerides299


Used and recommended
  • Continuous glucose monitor367

Mental health issues Preferred
  • Clinical interview with psychiatrist or psychologist, DSM-5-TR368


Used and recommended
  • Depression: PHQ,369 Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale,370 Beck Depression Inventory371

  • Generalised anxiety: GAD-7,164 372 DASS-2178 269 373 374

  • Stress: Perceived Stress Scale375

  • Brunel Mood Scale376

  • Profile of Mood States377 378

  • Eating disorders: EDE-Q,379–381 BEDA-Q,382 Eating Disorder Inventory,383 self-report

Impaired neurocognitive function Preferred
  • Clinical neuropsychological assessment


Used and recommended
  • Multiple domains: CogState assessment battery384

  • Planning/cognitive flexibility: Wisconsin Card Sorting Test242

  • Attention: Stroop Colour and Word Test385–387

  • Decision making: Iowa Gambling Test388 389

  • Verbal memory: California Verbal Learning Test-II390

  • Executive function: Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System Color-Word Interference Test,238 BRIEF-A391

Sleep disturbances Preferred
  • Polysomnography392


Used and recommended 392
  • Research-grade actigraphy

  • Sleep diaries

  • Numerous questionnaires, including Athlete Sleep Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ),393 Athlete Sleep Behaviour Questionnaire (ASBQ),394 Epworth Sleepiness Scale,395 Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index,10 396 Insomnia Severity Index164 397


Potential
  • Sport wearables398

Impaired cardiovascular function Preferred
  • Conduction, rhythm abnormalities: ECG313

  • Rate abnormalities: cardiac telemetry, Holter monitor

  • Haemodynamics: sphygmomanometery, orthostatic sphygmomanometery (≥20 mm Hg drop in systolic pressure, ≥10 mm Hg drop in diastolic pressure on standing from supine)313 399

  • Autonomic function: heart rate variability by Holter monitor,400 401 baroreflex sensitivity testing,402 bedside tests (eg, Valsalva, tilt testing)

  • Structural abnormalities: transthoracic echocardiogram313

  • Endothelial dysfunction: brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation235 403


Used and recommended
  • Heart rate: chest-mounted electrode-containing heart rate strap404 405

  • Haemodynamics: self-reported episodes of orthostatic (pre-) syncope


Potential
  • Sport wearables398 406

Reduced skeletal muscle function Preferred
  • Muscle protein synthesis: isotopic amino acid labelling,407 deuterated water ingestion408 409

  • Muscle glycogen content: histochemical analysis of biopsy-derived muscle samples,410 13C-magnetic resonance spectroscopy48 411


Used and recommended
  • None–exclude assessment if unable to directly measure as above

Impaired growth and development Preferred
  • Paediatric patients: clinical assessment with growth charts

    • Deviation from baseline growth trajectory, defined as a dynamic change with time (vs a single measurement)

    • Decrease in growth Z-score by >1294 412

  • Growth hormone: overnight sampling413

  • IGF-1: serum levels, IGFBP-3 levels414


Used and recommended
  • Paediatric patients: delayed markers of puberty (thelarche, menarche, spermarche)

Reduced immunity Preferred
  • To be determined


Used and recommended
  • Self-reported illness frequency10 271 415


Potential
  • CBC, with differential, immunoglobulin G glycome, leucocyte transcriptome and cytokine profile272

Performance outcomeMethods and notes
Decreased athlete availability Preferred
  • Self-reported days of training/competition lost or modified due to illness or injury10 274 416

Decreased training response Preferred
  • Longitudinal tracking of valid performance-related metric specific to athlete/sport (eg, sport-related time trial)168 417 418


Used and recommended
  • Self-reported plateauing of ability/performance despite training progression419

  • Exercise lactate profile420 421

  • Lactate: RPE ratio422 423

  • Catecholamine concentrations424

Decreased recovery Preferred
  • To be determined


Used and recommended
  • Lab-based studies:

    • Creatine phosphate system: 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy425

    • Exercise-induced muscle damage: muscle biopsy426

  • Field-based studies:

    • Questionnaires: Recovery-Stress Questionnaire (REST-Q),10 427 self-reported perceptions of recovery, Profile of Moods State (POMS),377 Hooper MacKinnon Questionnaire428

    • Creatine kinase (total, muscle)429

  • Athlete’s subjective report of readiness430


Potential
  • Wearable/commercialised recovery/readiness algorithms431

Decreased cognitive performance/skill Preferred
  • Skill: sport-specific measures (eg, Loughborough Soccer Passing Test)432 433


Used and recommended
  • Reaction time: consider sport-specific tests434

  • Spatial awareness: mental rotation test241

Decreased drive/motivation Preferred
  • To be determined


Used and recommended
  • Motivation: Behavioural Regulation in Sport Questionnaire (BRSQ),435 Psychological Need States in Sport-Scale (PNSS-S)436

  • Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ)437

  • Maslach Burnout Inventory438

Decreased muscle strength Preferred
  • Longitudinal tracking of valid performance-related metric specific to athlete/sport (eg, sport-related strength test, such as snatch or clean and jerk for weightlifting, or throw distance for shot put)439


Used and recommended
  • Isokinetic dynamometry440 441

  • One repetition maximum, specific movement (eg, bench press)442 443

Decreased endurance performance Preferred
  • Longitudinal tracking of valid performance-related metric specific to athlete/sport (eg, sport-related time-trial)168 417 418


Used and recommended
  • Laboratory-based VO2 max testing (via indirect calorimetry)444

  • Laboratory-based lactate threshold testing445

  • Multistage shuttle run446 447

  • Cycling ramp test448

Decreased power performance Preferred
  • Wingate test449


Used and recommended
  • Counter-movement jump73

  • Standing broad jump450 451

  • Bosco test452 453

  • *While various methods have been used clinically and in research settings, many have not been validated or used in athletes or specifically used to assess the effects of REDs. Therefore, this table proposes methods that have been used for outcomes of interest and that the authors recommend to date.

  • ADAM-Q, Androgen Deficiency in Ageing Males Questionnaire; BEDA-Q, Brief Eating Disorder in Athletes Questionnaire; BRIEF-A, Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function–Adult Version; CBC, complete blood count; DASS-21, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21; DSM-5 TR, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders– fifth edition, text revision; DXA, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry; EDE-Q, Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire; FSH, follicle stimulating hormone; GAD-7, General Anxiety Disorder-7; GERD, Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease; GerdQ, Gastro-oesophageal Reflux Disease Questionnaire; GI, gastrointestinal; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; HRpQCT, high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography; IGF-1, Insulin-like growth factor 1; IGFBP-3, Insulin-like growth binding protein-3; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; LEA, low energy availability; LEAF-Q, Low Energy Availability in Females Questionnaire; LH, luteinising hormone; PHQ, Patient Health Questionnaire; RMR, Resting Metabolic Rate; RPE, rating of perceived exertion; SMA, superior mesenteric artery; T3, triiodothyronine; T4, thyroxine; TSH, thyroid stimulating hormone; VO2 max, Maximal oxygen consumption.