CSN Weight Management & Body Composition Flashcards

Which of the following statements about BMI is most accurate when applied to athletes?

Answer: BMI can overestimate body fat in muscular athletes because it does not distinguish fat mass from lean mass

BMI is a height-weight ratio that cannot differentiate fat mass from muscle mass, making it an inaccurate body composition indicator for athletes with high lean mass.

What is the primary hormonal mechanism through which chronic low energy availability suppresses female reproductive function?

Answer: Decreased GnRH pulse frequency suppressing LH and FSH, leading to hypothalamic amenorrhea

Low energy availability reduces GnRH pulsatility, suppressing LH and FSH secretion and leading to hypothalamic amenorrhea and estrogen deficiency.

During a weight-loss phase, which dietary approach best protects against muscle loss in resistance-trained athletes?

Answer: High protein intake (2.3–3.1 g/kg lean body mass/day) with maintained resistance training volume

Protein intakes of 2.3–3.1 g/kg LBM/day during energy restriction, alongside continued resistance training, are most effective at preventing lean mass loss.

What does the term 'set point theory' suggest about long-term body weight regulation?

Answer: The body actively defends a biologically preferred weight range through metabolic and hormonal adjustments

Set point theory proposes that the body uses neuroendocrine feedback (e.g., leptin, ghrelin, metabolic rate changes) to defend a preferred weight range, making sustained weight loss physiologically challenging.

Which biomarker, when chronically suppressed, is most indicative of low energy availability in a female athlete?

Answer: Suppressed triiodothyronine (T3)

Chronically suppressed T3 is a sensitive early marker of low energy availability, reflecting the body's downregulation of thyroid function to conserve energy.

A sports nutritionist should suspect disordered eating in an athlete exhibiting which combination of signs?

Answer: Restrictive eating patterns, excessive exercise beyond training plan, recurrent stress fractures, and menstrual irregularities

The triad of restrictive eating, over-exercise, recurrent stress fractures, and menstrual disruption is a classic cluster of RED-S / disordered eating warning signs requiring clinical referral.