Fall sports can pose health challenges for teens who see weight as key to athletic success
Too frequently, teenagers pack on the pounds, sometimes weighing twice as much as they should, so they can play on their high school football teams even though it could mean a lifetime of obesity and related health conditions, such as diabetes. On the other end of the unhealthy weight spectrum, cross country runners often attempt to drop pounds so they can cut their times even though their already-lean bodies need calories for adolescent growth and good health.
Runners, many of whom already are lean, sometimes try to drop pounds to reduce their times.
Fall sports can pose significant health challenges for teens, who might see their weight as key to their athletic success, said Douglas McKeag, M.D., director of the IU Center for Sports Medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine.
"Parents may have an adult perspective but kids think there isn't anything they can do to hurt their bodies -- they don't think into the future," said McKeag, OneAmerica Professor of Preventive Health and Family Medicine. "There's no easy answer. Parents have to be good counselors and say, 'This isn't worth it.'"
Football
McKeag described obesity as a "major problem" particularly for offensive and defensive lineman, where teams tend to select and even encourage overweight players. It's not uncommon, he said, for athletes to be told in the spring that they need to gain 20 or 25 pounds if they want to play in the fall. Overeating, he said, is the most common way athletes gain this weight.
"Overeating in any setting is unhealthy," McKeag said. "In an adolescent, it's doubly harmful because it sets up the body for what it will be like as an adult."
Immediate problems can involve being more prone to injuries, particularly involving the joints. In the long run, obesity contributes to cardiovascular problems, diabetes and breathing disorders.
"It's truly unhealthy," he said. "Everything from sudden death, to the long-lasting effects from diabetes, even how they view themselves in the future, it's all at stake here."
Cross country
Cross country runners tend to be lean to begin with, McKeag said. If they drop below their ideal weight, they likely are losing muscle, not fat, making it harder for the body to respond with speed. Being underweight can actually stunt a teenager's growth.
"As an adolescent, you need energy to perform your sport and for growth," McKeag said. "If you deny yourself the food intake to lose weight, you don't supply yourself with the energy to run the sport and you don't have the energy for growth."
Strategic snacking
Athletes tend to lose weight throughout the season in the various fall sports, often as much as 20-30 pounds, "and that's a lot on a growing kid," McKeag said. Intense exercise, which can occur during afterschool practices, can suppress athletes' appetites so they do not eat as much as they should for dinner. On top of this, many teens skip breakfast, setting them up for a downward dietary spiral. McKeag said he encourages athletes to rearrange their food intake.
"I suggest they always have something to eat wherever they are," he said. "They should try to have a densely packed calorie bar, shake, something they can get to during breaks at school. And I encourage them to eat breakfast. It doesn't matter what they eat, just that they eat, although complex carbohydrates are a good energy source."
McKeag said parents need to understand what their teens are experiencing, both the pressures of sport and a period of rapid growth.
"High school sports can be really good for kids but they need to be in moderation," he said. "Weight maintenance can be a very good measure."
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