Assessing Readiness in Military Women The Relationship of Body, Composition, Nutrition, and Health (1998) / Chapter Skim
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5 Nutritional Concerns of Military Women
5 Nutritional Concerns of Military Women
Pages 109-126
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From page 109... ...
rations and military dining hall menus. Recent attempts to revise the MRDAs were considered in a 1995 letter report by the Committee on Military Nutrition Research (CMNR)
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From page 110... ...
Female AthIete Triad Chronic restrictive dieting and high levels of exercise have been associated with amenorrhea and a related increase in the risk of osteoporosis and stress fracture of the lower extremities and pelvis in a syndrome known as the female athlete triad (ACSM, 1997; Bennell et al., 19951. A considerable amount of research has been devoted to pinpointing the nutritional factorks)
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From page 111... ...
Considerable research has sought to elucidate the factors that contribute to amenorrhea in the athlete. Energy Intake The question of whether reduced energy intake or negative energy balance is responsible for the hormonal imbalance associated with the female athlete triad has been investigated using models of self-imposed energy restriction (dieting)
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From page 112... ...
have shown that the decreased bone density in amenorrheic athletes is associated with decreased production of estrogen and suppression of pulsatile secretion of EH. Studies examining the effect of exercise and energy intake on athletic amenorrhea by Loucks and coworkers have shown that self-reported energy intake in both amenorrheic and eumenorrheic female athletes was lower than would be predicted by their physical activity level (as measured by activity monitors)
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From page 113... ...
A long-term randomized control trial to examine the effects of a low fat, high carbohydrate diet on breast cancer risk among premenopausal women has shown that after 2 years, intervention subjects, whose food records show that they are consuming an average of 20 percent fat and 60 percent carbohydrate, have significantly decreased estradiol and progesterone and increased FSH compared to controls (Boyd et al., 1997)
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From page 114... ...
for 2 months, observed no change in ovulatory function despite significant decreases in serum estrone and estradiol and a significant decrease in body weight and body fat. Other Nutrients Several groups of investigators have attempted to examine the influence of vegetarian diets on menstrual status, on the assumption that a vegetarian diet may be lower in saturated fat and/or higher in fiber than an omnivorous diet.
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From page 115... ...
However, research showing that brief periods of energy imbalance may increase the risk for amenorrhea suggests that active-duty military women may be at increased risk for amenorrhea simply as a result of chronic dieting and exercise. The role of nutrition as a risk factor in the stress fractures reported in women in BCT has not been examined.
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From page 116... ...
It is not possible at present to assess the impact of dieting practices among activeduty military women on their nutritional status. The prevalence of female athlete triad among these women and its possible contribution to the high level of stress fracture observed among women in BCT is also urUcnown.
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From page 117... ...
The majority of active-duty military women reside in barracks (quarters) or in private homes and consume the majority of their meals, not in military dining halls or as operational rations, but in the same settings as civilian women.
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Iron A prolonged inadequate dietary intake of iron can lead to iron deficiency, which may have adverse physical and cognitive effects independent of those associated with restricted energy intake. These effects include depressed immune function, impaired cognitive development, behavioral disturbances (pica)
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From page 119... ...
More data in this area are needed, but the potential negative cognitive effects of iron deficiency and anemia, coupled with its negative physical effects, underscore the need to ensure that military women consume adequate amounts of iron to ensure readi ness. Impact of exercise on iron status.
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From page 120... ...
While it appears that the MRDA level of calcium intake should be adequate to meet the needs of most military women, many women relying on operational rations as well as those consuming their meals in military dining facilities are at risk for inadequate calcium intakes unless they choose their foocis carefully. Folate Randomized control trials have shown clear evidence that periconceptional supplementation with folio acid can lower the risk of neural tube defects in the offspring of women who have had previous pregnancies with neural tube defects.
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From page 121... ...
Summary Only a small number of military nutrition studies have included women, and of those that have, nearly all have studied dietary intake or nutrient status of soldiers in brief field training sessions, cadets enrolled at military academies, or new recruits in BCT. Operational rations and dining hall menus are formulated based on the MRDAs for mate soldiers.
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From page 122... ...
inadequate calcium intake during young adulthood may inhibit attainment of peak bone mass and later maintenance of skeletal mass. Physical activity exerts a positive effect on bone density in peri- and postmenopausal women when daily calcium intake is adequate; it is unknown if this association is true for younger women.
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1997. Effects of a low-fat, high carbohydrate diet on plasma sex hormones in premenopausal women: Results from a randomized controlled trial.
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Committee on the Prevention, Detection, and Management of Iron Deficiency Anemia Among U.S. Children and Women of Childbearing Age, Food and Nutrition Board.
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Presentation at the workshop on Assessing Readiness in Military Women: The Relationship to Nutrition. September 9-10, Irvine, Calif.
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1997. Effects of diet supplementation with wheat bran on serum estrogen levels in the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle.
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