Weight Loss Their Greatest Opponent
---------------------------------
Before high school and college wrestlers can face their opponents in the ring, they must first vanquish one in the locker room, the scales that determine whether they're eligible to compete in a given weight class. In order to make the weight they want, many of these young athletes are using fasting, dehydration, diet pills, and laxatives as ways to lose weight quickly.
How widespread is this potentially deadly practice? A recent study of wrestlers in Michigan high schools found 7 out of 10 used at least one possibly harmful weight loss method each week of the wrestling session -- and just over half of them used at least two methods each week. About a quarter of the young wrestlers lost 10 pounds or more during the season, and 11% fasted longer than 24 hours before a match.
The study was published in the May issue of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
"This study reinforces what we've known for years," lead author Robert Kiningham, MD, tells WebMD. "While previous studies have looked at elite, highly committed wrestlers, we looked at everyone. Disturbingly, we found the same percentage of harmful behaviors as previous studies of elite wrestlers, suggesting these behaviors are widespread."
Kiningham is an assistant clinical professor and director of the sports medicine fellowship program at the University of Michigan School of Medicine in Ann Arbor.
Many wrestlers try to compete in an unrealistically low weight class because they believe this gives them a competitive advantage, says Doug Andersen, DC, nutrition consultant for West Coast Sports Performance and Sports Medicine Consultants in Manhattan Beach, Calif., and a nutritionist for the Los Angeles Kings hockey team.
"First, wrestlers should qualify for a sensible weight class," he says. "If you skip one meal the day beforehand in order to drop two or three pounds, that's one thing. But when someone tries to drop tremendous amounts of weight, 10 pounds or more, we're concerned. While they may not have an eating disorder in the strict sense, they certainly have disordered eating."
"In 1997 three healthy college-age men all died because they were trying to make weight for the wrestling team, using similar rapid-weight-loss regimens based on dehydration. Wrestlers put on nonpermeable clothing and exercise hard, and then don't rehydrate themselves. This is dangerous," says Samantha Heller, MS, RD, a senior clinical nutritionist at New York University Medical Center and an exercise physiologist.
Short-term studies have found rapid weight loss can lead to a decline in the ability to think clearly, loss of athletic strength and power, and mood changes, Heller says. No one knows if there are long-term effects, because long-term studies haven't been done.
The authors of the Michigan study conclude by saying, "Altering these entrenched behaviors will require a unified effort by coaches, administrators, parents, and wrestlers throughout the sport."
However, some coaches don't see any need for change.
"Wrestlers have a short-term goal, to make their weight," says Dick Bellock. "They may not eat for a day but we all skip meals once in awhile. Teenage kids get hungry. They make weight, they eat right afterward; that isn't necessarily binge eating."
Bellock wrestled in high school and college and is now the athletic director of McKay High School in Salem, Ore.
Bob Ferraro agrees.
"We already have safety measures in place," says Ferraro, executive director of the National High School Coaches Association, based in Easton, Pa. "Every wrestler must be examined by a physician, and the physician determines the weight class that wrestler will compete at. These issues have already been addressed."
Andersen, however, believes changes are needed.
"Today, wrestlers weigh-in hours before or the day before the match. They should have to weigh-in just beforehand. If someone had to wrestle in a dehydrated state, weak as a kitten, they wouldn't like it."
Since the data was collected for the Michigan study, the state has instituted a new program using mandatory weight standards based on a measured percentage of body fat. Kiningham hopes the new program will be effective in limiting pressures on young wrestlers to engage in unhealthy weight-loss behaviors in order to compete.
Source: WebMD
You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.
About The Author
------------
Michael Lewis has been collecting articles and information on Weight Loss and HGH (Human Growth Hormone) and related health benefits. He has created and edits numerous web sites about this subject. Michael is a staff writer for http://www.ageforce.com and several other websites. If you would like to contact Michael you can e-mail him at http://www.ageforce.com or if you would like to know more about Weight Loss, HGH (Human Growth Hormone) and related health topics please visit us at http://www.ageforce.com.
If you are among the millions of people searching for... Read More
Are you or your family members amongst the 65%?To help... Read More
Have you ever dreaded the idea of pulling weeds, planting... Read More
1. Drink plenty of water. Our body needs a lot... Read More
Diet is one of the most controversial subjects around. Bring... Read More
We hear it all the time?lose weight for your health.... Read More
There are many factors that cause us to increase body... Read More
When it comes to the matter of weight loss, peoples... Read More
A typical breakfast consists of 3 or 4 strips of... Read More
In life, various factors contribute to weight gain. Be it... Read More
Staying Toned After Weight Loss ---------------------------------------- Following significant weight loss,... Read More
Do you tend to find your weight increases when you... Read More
In order to identify hunger, you must first understand what... Read More
When we discover that we are heavier than we want... Read More
Have you ever experienced this scenario before?"I have successfully lost... Read More
Here are 4 diet tips we all need reminded of... Read More
Chances are if you've stepped foot in a gym or... Read More
Fat has had a lot of bad press and for... Read More
If you have a protruding abdomen, loose skin as a... Read More
IT'S NOT ABOUT THE NUMBERS!The health clubs are always racking... Read More
Everywhere we look in the western world we are inundated... Read More
If you pick the right personal trainer?you'll most definitely see... Read More
Yes, my healthy diet has at times suffered at the... Read More
First of all we need to find out a reason... Read More
Ready for a hardcore diet to get lean in a... Read More
O'Hare Chicago prom limo ..Twenty years of health club consulting, 50,000 hours of paid... Read More
Experts tell us that overweight or obese children have reached... Read More
America is getting more obese every year. Even our children... Read More
Sometime, during the phase of rapid weight loss after gastric... Read More
We must all now be familiar with the Atkins Diet.... Read More
Are you just exploding with the presence of light all... Read More
Some of you will not like what I have to... Read More
Let's face when it comes to overweight and obesity there... Read More
There are all kinds of fad diets and quick fixes... Read More
Losing Weight quickly and easily has become one of the... Read More
Our bodies only require a small amount of salt for... Read More
Burn fat while you sleep! Eat whatever you want and... Read More
MYTH: Fad diets work for permanent weight loss.FACT: Fad diets... Read More
As the dieting phenomenon grows, with a new "diet guru"... Read More
How to Break the Weighing HabitFace it, if you weigh... Read More
Many women want to be slim. Maybe you're one of... Read More
You have finally decided to tackle weight management and lose... Read More
Teenagers with body mass indices between 25 and 30 require... Read More
Is it easy to lose weight? Yes. Losing weight is... Read More
If you have recently found yourself fretting over your child's... Read More
Have you ever decided to take a trip somewhere relatively... Read More
Lose Weight - Grab A GlassIn childhood, we heard it:... Read More
Ever wonder if you have a serious problem with binge... Read More
In 1994, I had a RNY surgery. At 350 lbs... Read More
First? establish realistic goals. Start with a target you can... Read More
Weight Loss |