Menu Close

Elite female athletes put health at risk

Young female athletes competing in aesthetic sports, such as gymnastics, are putting their health at risk due to calcium and iron deficiencies.

A study of athletes from the South Australian Sports Institute found aesthetic athletes had alarmingly lower levels of iron and calcium than other athletes.

Iron and calcium are key minerals for good health, growth and bone strength. Low levels of these minerals put athletes at risk of anaemia and osteoporosis later in life.

Read more at Flinders University

Want to write?

Write an article and join a growing community of more than 180,400 academics and researchers from 4,911 institutions.

Register now