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Low energy availability: history, definition and evidence of its endocrine, metabolic and physiological effects in prospective studies in females and males

Energy availability (EA) is defined as the amount of dietary energy available to sustain physiological function after subtracting the energetic cost of exercise. Insufficient EA due to increased exercise, reduced energy intake, or a combination of both, is a potent disruptor of the endocrine milieu....

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Autores principales: Areta, José L., Taylor, Harry L., Koehler, Karsten
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Springer Berlin Heidelberg 2020
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7815551/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33095376
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00421-020-04516-0
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author Areta, José L.
Taylor, Harry L.
Koehler, Karsten
author_facet Areta, José L.
Taylor, Harry L.
Koehler, Karsten
author_sort Areta, José L.
collection PubMed
description Energy availability (EA) is defined as the amount of dietary energy available to sustain physiological function after subtracting the energetic cost of exercise. Insufficient EA due to increased exercise, reduced energy intake, or a combination of both, is a potent disruptor of the endocrine milieu. As such, EA is conceived as a key etiological factor underlying a plethora of physiological dysregulations described in the female athlete triad, its male counterpart and the Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport models. Originally developed upon female-specific physiological responses, this concept has recently been extended to males, where experimental evidence is limited. The majority of data for all these models are from cross-sectional or observational studies where hypothesized chronic low energy availability (LEA) is linked to physiological maladaptation. However, the body of evidence determining causal effects of LEA on endocrine, and physiological function through prospective studies manipulating EA is comparatively small, with interventions typically lasting ≤ 5 days. Extending laboratory-based findings to the field requires recognition of the strengths and limitations of current knowledge. To aid this, this review will: (1) provide a brief historical overview of the origin of the concept in mammalian ecology through its evolution of algebraic calculations used in humans today, (2) Outline key differences from the ‘energy balance’ concept, (3) summarise and critically evaluate the effects of LEA on tissues/systems for which we now have evidence, namely: hormonal milieu, reproductive system endocrinology, bone metabolism and skeletal muscle; and finally (4) provide perspectives and suggestions for research upon identified knowledge gaps.
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spelling pubmed-78155512021-01-25 Low energy availability: history, definition and evidence of its endocrine, metabolic and physiological effects in prospective studies in females and males Areta, José L. Taylor, Harry L. Koehler, Karsten Eur J Appl Physiol Invited Review Energy availability (EA) is defined as the amount of dietary energy available to sustain physiological function after subtracting the energetic cost of exercise. Insufficient EA due to increased exercise, reduced energy intake, or a combination of both, is a potent disruptor of the endocrine milieu. As such, EA is conceived as a key etiological factor underlying a plethora of physiological dysregulations described in the female athlete triad, its male counterpart and the Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport models. Originally developed upon female-specific physiological responses, this concept has recently been extended to males, where experimental evidence is limited. The majority of data for all these models are from cross-sectional or observational studies where hypothesized chronic low energy availability (LEA) is linked to physiological maladaptation. However, the body of evidence determining causal effects of LEA on endocrine, and physiological function through prospective studies manipulating EA is comparatively small, with interventions typically lasting ≤ 5 days. Extending laboratory-based findings to the field requires recognition of the strengths and limitations of current knowledge. To aid this, this review will: (1) provide a brief historical overview of the origin of the concept in mammalian ecology through its evolution of algebraic calculations used in humans today, (2) Outline key differences from the ‘energy balance’ concept, (3) summarise and critically evaluate the effects of LEA on tissues/systems for which we now have evidence, namely: hormonal milieu, reproductive system endocrinology, bone metabolism and skeletal muscle; and finally (4) provide perspectives and suggestions for research upon identified knowledge gaps. Springer Berlin Heidelberg 2020-10-23 2021 /pmc/articles/PMC7815551/ /pubmed/33095376 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00421-020-04516-0 Text en © The Author(s) 2020 Open AccessThis article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
spellingShingle Invited Review
Areta, José L.
Taylor, Harry L.
Koehler, Karsten
Low energy availability: history, definition and evidence of its endocrine, metabolic and physiological effects in prospective studies in females and males
title Low energy availability: history, definition and evidence of its endocrine, metabolic and physiological effects in prospective studies in females and males
title_full Low energy availability: history, definition and evidence of its endocrine, metabolic and physiological effects in prospective studies in females and males
title_fullStr Low energy availability: history, definition and evidence of its endocrine, metabolic and physiological effects in prospective studies in females and males
title_full_unstemmed Low energy availability: history, definition and evidence of its endocrine, metabolic and physiological effects in prospective studies in females and males
title_short Low energy availability: history, definition and evidence of its endocrine, metabolic and physiological effects in prospective studies in females and males
title_sort low energy availability: history, definition and evidence of its endocrine, metabolic and physiological effects in prospective studies in females and males
topic Invited Review
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7815551/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33095376
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00421-020-04516-0
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