A Comparative Study of the Female and Male Athlete Triad: Implications for Physiological Health, Injury Prevention and Sports Performance Enhancement - A Telangana State Perspective
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: It has long been recognized that female athletes might experience the Female Athlete Triad (FAT), which is defined as low energy availability (LEA), menstrual dysfunction, and decreased bone health. Menstrual dysfunction has been replaced with reproductive suppression (low testosterone) in an identical Male Athlete Triad (MAT) that has been documented since 2017. This study compiles data on the two Triads' comparative physiology and applies it to the situation of athletes from the state of Telangana. Data pertaining to India and Telangana were given precedence in a systematic search of indexed publications and regional reports. According to research, male athletes are just as likely as female athletes to have moderate-to-high RED-S risk. In fact, one study in India found that 98% of male Kho-Kho players had at least one moderate-to-high RED-S risk outcome. A decreased incidence of LEA (19.4%), menstrual disruption (2.7%), and injury load (11.1%) was seen in the Telangana State Sports School cohort, indicating that organized residential assistance may provide some protection. One important thing that Telangana still lacks, however, is comprehensive sex disaggregated monitoring. Bone stress injuries are more common in female athletes, and although men's reproductive-bone axis is more resistant to LEA, it is not immune. In both males and females, there is a substantial inverse correlation between RED-S risk and performance declines in muscular endurance, strength, and cardiovascular endurance. The article contends that the Telangana Sports Policy 2025, sports schools, and new sports-science collaborations establish a foundation for Telangana's growing high-performance environment, which presents an opportune opportunity to include Triad screening, dietary assistance, and guidelines for preventing sex-sensitive injuries. All athletes funded by the state should be required to have a RED-S test once a year; there should be sex based bone health monitoring; and coaches should be educated on the symptoms of LEA.
Authors: Vislavath Chander, M Narayanamma
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7223227068