Are You Missing Relative Energy Deficiency in Your Athletes (REDs)? New study gives insights.
Are your female tactical athletes underperforming despite rigorous training? They might be suffering from REDs — and a simple test could spot it early. Discover how the RMR ratio is changing the game for performance, prevention, and resilience.
In the evolving world of human performance, especially within the tactical and athletic female populations, one question looms larger than ever: Are we adequately identifying Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs)?
A recent study led by Dr. Jessica Garay and published in Current Developments in Nutrition is sounding the alarm — and offering a potential solution that’s both practical and underutilized: the Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) ratio.
What Is REDs — and Why Should You Care?
REDs, or Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, is a syndrome that stems from insufficient energy intake to meet the demands of daily living and training. It can lead to:
- Menstrual dysfunction
- Impaired bone health
- Reduced immunity
- Decreased cardiovascular function
- Cognitive and emotional issues
- Poor performance outcomes
While REDs is well-documented, it’s notoriously underdiagnosed — especially in tactical and recreationally active women, where the line between high performance and under-fueling is razor-thin.
What Did the Study Reveal?
Dr. Garay’s study took a deeper dive into how REDs manifests in recreational and collegiate-level female athletes. Here’s the game-changer:
63% of participants had low energy availability (EA)
But only 14% had both low EA and a low RMR ratio
This discrepancy suggests that RMR ratio — defined as measured RMR divided by predicted RMR — may be a more sensitive and efficient red flag for REDs than EA alone.
Why the RMR Ratio Matters
RMR ratio has several distinct advantages:
- It’s non-invasive, requiring only indirect calorimetry and predictive calculations
- It can be easily repeated and monitored over time
- It’s highly relevant for field environments — including armed forces, collegiate athletics, and wellness centers
This metric could become a vital part of the screening toolkit, especially where time, funding, and access to full dietetic assessments are limited.
Effective Tools Already in Use:
At Armed Forces Wellness Centers and similar facilities, tools like indirect calorimetry and body composition assessments are already part of routine evaluations. Devices like:
- VO2 Master Analyzers
- COSMED FitMate/K5 and QNRG-Max
- BodPod and InBody 770
These devices can be easily implemented to compute RMR ratios, offering a seamless way to integrate REDs risk screening without revamping entire protocols.
Teamwork Makes the Tactic Work
This isn’t a solo mission. Collaborations with dietitians at local Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs) or in civilian sectors can further enrich assessments by using validated tools like:
- FAST (Female Athlete Screening Tool)
- LEAF-Q (Low Energy Availability in Females Questionnaire)
These questionnaires, when used in combination with RMR ratios, can catch the carbohydrate deficit blind spots that persist in many high-performing tactical women.
What This Means for Human Performance Teams
If you’re a coach, trainer, dietitian, or wellness specialist working with female service members, first responders, or athletes, here are four reasons to start using the RMR ratio today:
- Detect under-fueling before it spirals into injury or illness
- Identify performance plateaus that diet and recovery can fix
- Reduce preventable injuries through better energy balance
- Empower female athletes with actionable, science-backed data
Bridging Physiology, Performance, and Prevention
The ultimate goal? A human performance strategy that aligns with prevention and education, not just post-injury care. REDs may not shout out loudly and metrics like the RMR ratio help us tune in before it’s too late.
How the VO2 Master analyzer is helping
Now you can calculate RMR ratios with accurate metabolic data – without the lab.
VO2 Master makes it easy to measure Resting Metabolic Rate anywhere – the gym, field or locker room.
- Use RMR rations to fine tune training and nutrition strategies
- Create the testing schedule where and when you want
- Integrate with tools like Polar, Moxy, and more
- Benefit from the portability, accuracy and convenience – wireless connection to your device and no wires, hoses or backpacks.
Professional organizations, including Armed Forces Wellness Centers and top tier Universities and professional sports team are already integrating VO2 Master into their performance monitoring protocols. The same technology that supports elite-level performance is now available for your organization.
Thanks to Dr. Garay and her team, we’re one step closer to building a more responsive, informed, and resilient system for female tactical athletes.
Read full article here https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2475299125014672
