The Study
The Commonality of Overtraining Syndrome and Relative Energy Deficit Syndrome in Sports (REDs). Literature Review
This study is like someone summarizing what other people have said about athlete health problems, but not doing a careful count or experiment. It helps us think about ideas, but doesn’t prove anything for sure.
Analysis score
Maximum 5 for a narrative review.
Where the score came from
Some athletes get too tired from training too much, but sometimes it's because they don’t eat enough. This study looks at whether not eating enough (called REDs) is just one type of overtraining or a separate issue.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 51 / 100
Quality score
Based on clinical experience or non-systematic literature reviews. The lowest level of evidence as they are most susceptible to bias and personal perspective.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes, this helps understand why some athletes feel exhausted — it might not just be training too much, but also not fueling properly, or other body systems being off.
- 2The study says REDs might be one way overtraining shows up.
- 3Other reasons include brain tiredness, body stress, and immune changes.
- 4Overtraining can still happen even if eating enough.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Human Physiology
Year
2024
Authors
E. A. Gavrilova, O. A. Churganov, O. Pavlova, E. V. Bryntseva, A. V. Rasskazova, M. V. Gorkin, A. K. Sarkisov, A. B. Didora, V. I. Shitova
Related Content
Claims (3)
Not eating enough calories can make you feel like you're overtraining, but you can still overtrain even if you're eating enough food and protein.
Overtraining in athletes might actually show up as low energy from sports, meaning that 'low energy' could just be one way overtraining looks, not a totally different problem.
Low energy levels in athletes might help explain why some get overtraining syndrome, but it's not the only reason — other factors like brain fatigue and body inflammation could also play a role.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.