s4/e02 What is Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) and Why You Should Care! with Melissa Lodge, MS, PhD(c)

Relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) describes a syndrome of poor health and declining athletic performance that happens when athletes do not get enough fuel through food to support the energy demands of their daily lives and training. RED-S can and does affect athletes of any gender and ability level. Melissa Lodge, PhD(c) is an elite runner and researcher studying RED-S in endurance athletes, and she joins the show to talk about RED-S and her work!

• What is RED-S?
• The history of RED-S & evolution of understanding
• How RED-S happens
• The effect of teammates/friends/training partners
• The "culture" of endurance running as a risk factor for RED-S
• How much is intentional vs unintentional underfueling?
• Within-day deficits as a contributing risk factor
• Low Carbohydrate Availability as a contributing risk factor
• How many professional athletes have retired from RED-S?
• And more!

Melissa (Mel) Lodge, MS is a health sciences doctoral student, elite runner, and REDs researcher at URI. Her research focuses on the influence of low energy availability (LEA) and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) on markers of health and performance, specifically in female athletes across the lifespan. Melissa is interested in exploring intervention-based models, such as education, to improve outcomes for female athletes and girls in sport in the future. Melissa runs an educational platform @FED_collaborative where she provides translational research on female athlete physiology, LEA, REDs, and eating disorders/disordered eating. She continues to run competitively in track & field and road racing and competed in the 2023 USATF Indoor Championship (1500m)