Hungry runners - low energy availability in male endurance athletes and its impact on performance and testosterone: mini-review.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative mini-review summarizing existing literature without systematic review methodology
PubMed 37052052 · doi:10.4081/ejtm.2023.11104
What was done
The authors conducted a narrative mini-review of PubMed-indexed literature examining low energy availability (LEA) in endurance-trained male athletes, evaluating its prevalence, link to Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), and consequences for testosterone and performance.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical values or statistical metrics. It qualitatively notes that LEA occurs in male endurance athletes and is correlated with decreased testosterone levels, reduced bone mineral density, lowered resting metabolic rate, and impaired recovery and adaptation.
Why it matters
The paper highlights that energy deficiency and associated hormonal suppression are not exclusive to female athletes and affect male endurance runners.
Limits
As a mini-review, it provides no systematic search protocol, quality assessment, study inclusion criteria, or pooled quantitative effect sizes in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Overweight men who lose excess body fat experience an increase in testosterone levels, whereas lean men who undergo severe caloric restriction experience a drop in testosterone.