Taking extra calories helps exercising women avoid menstrual disorders

Women who exercise regularly but struggle to consume enough calories and have menstrual disorders can simply increase their food intake to recover their menstrual cycle, says new study.

The study, published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society, found that exercising women with menstrual disorders can start menstruating again by consuming an additional 300-400 calories a day.

"These findings can impact all exercising women because many women strive to exercise for competitive and health-related reasons but may not be getting enough calories to support their exercise," said lead researcher Mary Jane De Souza from Penn State University in the US.

"By consuming enough calories, exercising women with menstrual disorders can avoid complications associated with a condition known as the ‘Female Athlete Triad'," De Souza said.

This is a medical condition that starts with inadequate food intake that fails to meet the body's needs. It leads to menstrual disorders and poor bone health. It is associated with a high incidence of stress fractures.

For the findings, the research team included 62 young, exercising women with infrequent menstrual periods.

Thirty-two women increased their calorie intake an average of 300-400 calories a day, and 30 maintained their exercise and eating habits for the 12-month study.

Women who consumed the extra calories were twice as likely to have their menstrual period during the study compared with the women who maintained their regular exercise and eating routine, the study said.

"This strategy is easy to implement with the help of a nutritionist. It does not require a prescription and avoids complications from drug therapy," De Souza said.

"The findings will encourage healthcare providers to try to help exercising women with menstrual disorders who consume too few calories to eat more, and this may help them to be healthier athletes and avoid bone complications," De Souza noted.