Silvennoinen Julia I K, Sipilä Pyry N, Valtonen Maarit, Mjøsund Katja, Kinnula Ville, Hirvelä Leon, Mierlahti Laura, Ihalainen Johanna K
Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki Faculty of Medicine, Helsinki, Finland.
University of Jyväskylä Faculty of Sports and Health Sciences, Jyväskylä, Finland.
BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2025 Sep 1;11(3):e002644. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2025-002644. eCollection 2025.
Relative energy deficiency in sport (REDs) is a condition caused by chronic and/or severe low energy availability. Endurance athletes are at risk of REDs, which are characterised by negative effects on health and performance. Disturbed cholesterol metabolism is a suggested indicator of REDs and could affect the future cardiovascular health of athletes. We investigated the association between the REDs risk and cholesterol levels in endurance athletes.
Finnish endurance athletes (n=87; female 44, male 43) were recruited as part of the Athletic Performance and Nutrition study. The participants were examined at the beginning (T1) and end (T2) of the training season. The REDs risk was assessed using the REDs Clinical Assessment Tool version 2.
At T1, 37 (77%) female and 31 (72%) male athletes were at medium-to-high REDs risk. The REDs risk was not associated with cholesterol levels in a cross-sectional analysis, and no overall change in the REDs risk or the cholesterol levels was observed between T1 and T2. In female athletes, an increase in REDs risk status from low to medium-to-high between T1 and T2 was associated with a decrease in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (beta adjusted for age -0.62, 95% CI -0.94 to -0.30) and total cholesterol (beta adjusted for age -0.85, -1.42 to -0.28)).
REDs risk was not associated with cholesterol levels at T1 or T2. However, in female athletes, an increase in the REDs risk across time points was associated with a decrease in LDL and total cholesterol levels.
运动中的相对能量缺乏（REDs）是一种由慢性和/或严重的低能量可利用性引起的状况。耐力运动员有患REDs的风险，其特征是对健康和表现产生负面影响。胆固醇代谢紊乱是REDs的一个潜在指标，可能会影响运动员未来的心血管健康。我们调查了耐力运动员中REDs风险与胆固醇水平之间的关联。
作为运动表现与营养研究的一部分，招募了芬兰耐力运动员（n = 87；女性44名，男性43名）。在训练赛季开始时（T1）和结束时（T2）对参与者进行检查。使用REDs临床评估工具第2版评估REDs风险。
在T1时，37名（77%）女性和31名（72%）男性运动员处于中到高REDs风险。横断面分析中，REDs风险与胆固醇水平无关，在T1和T2之间未观察到REDs风险或胆固醇水平的总体变化。在女性运动员中，T1到T2期间REDs风险状态从低增加到中到高与低密度脂蛋白（LDL）胆固醇降低（年龄调整后的β值为-0.62，95%置信区间为-0.94至-0.30）和总胆固醇降低（年龄调整后的β值为-0.85，-1.42至-0.28）相关。
T1或T2时REDs风险与胆固醇水平无关。然而，在女性运动员中，不同时间点REDs风险的增加与LDL和总胆固醇水平的降低相关。
