RED-S Syndrome – Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport
Sophia Williams
2026-03-16
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Performance sports involve numerous training sessions, substantial energy expenditure, and consequently a greater calorie requirement. However, there are disciplines that necessitate athletes having a lean body shape, such as acrobatics or ski jumping. The ambition to attain the lowest possible body weight and excellent results frequently results in dissatisfaction, undernourishment, inadequate energy provision, and even eating disorders and health complications that can negatively impact training performance. Athletes succumb to this trap for years, and despite the increasing availability of information, the frequency of this phenomenon does not diminish. Is there something that can be done to avert this issue?
RED-S: The Syndrome of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport
The year 1993 marked the initial scientific identification and characterization of a distinct clinical phenomenon termed the "female athlete triad," which predominantly affected young women engaged in high-performance athletics. This condition was characterized by the concurrent presence of three primary disturbances: disordered eating patterns, menstrual dysfunction, and progressive bone mineral density loss culminating in osteoporosis. As physiological research advanced, chronic low energy availability was subsequently incorporated into the symptomatic framework of this syndrome. In 2014, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) introduced a more comprehensive and precise terminology, redefining the phenomenon as *Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport* (RED-S). The underlying etiology of RED-S stems from a sustained mismatch between energy expenditure and intake, which precipitates widespread systemic impairments—affecting both female and male athletes across varying levels of competitive engagement (De Souza et al., 2014).
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