136: All Things Bone Health + Injuries in Athletes

In this episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition, I sit down with a leading expert in bone health and female athletes, Dr. Emily Kraus. Dr. Kraus is also the Director of the Stanford Female Athlete Science And Translational Research (FASTR) Program. Together we chat about the basics of bone health and its interplay with the Female Athlete Triad, Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) and Low Energy Availability. Nutrition and bone health are closely linked, and Dr. Kraus and I discuss bone-related consequences of underfueling like bone stress injuries, fractures, and missing periods. Dr. Kraus explains the involvement of hormones in RED-S, bone health and injuries. We highlight warning signs of underfueling and imbalanced hormones in all athletes, like missing periods, known as amenorrhea, and reduced libido, as well as the importance of addressing these to maintain bone health and prevent injuries . We touch on supplementation and medical treatments for improving bone health, debunking myths about calcium pills, contraceptives and hormonal therapies. 

Dr. Kraus is a world-renowned researcher in the field of athlete health and we discuss her latest project: The Healthy Runner Study. Dr. Kraus shares insights gained about the bone health of high performing female athletes, screening tools and red flags for identifying at-risk individuals, and strategies for preventing injuries and improving performance. We talk nutrition for bone health and healing from RED-S, as well as other potential causes of injury like training errors, biomechanics, and improper equipment. Dr. Kraus and I reflect on personal experiences as underfueled athletes and the negative impacts they had on our health and performance. We finish off with the usual end of the podcast questions and how listeners can find out more about Dr. Emily Kraus and her incredible work.

For more on Dr. Kraus’ current work, check out the Stanford Female Athlete Science And Translational Research (FASTR) Program https://fastr.stanford.edu/ where Dr. Kraus is the Program Director.

https://www.elitecompetitor.com/ and access her free training for moms of athletes www.trainhergame.com 

Follow Dr. Emily Kraus on Twitter @emilykrausmd and Instagram @emilykrausmd and @emilykrausmd_sportscience  and me, your host Lindsey Cortes, @female.athlete.nutrition 

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In this episode we talk about:

1:40 About this episode

6:40 Understanding bone health and growth 

10:40 Calcium supplements and nutrition for bone health 

11:50 RED-S, energy balance, and their  impacts on hormones and bone

19:50 The power of the menstrual cycle; Amenorrhea and missing periods 

23:30 Underfueling, hormonal imbalances, injuries and impaired bone health: red flags and warning signs in athletes  

27:10 Treating RED-S, missing periods, and poor bone health; Contraceptives and hormonal therapies

32:45 The Healthy Runner Project: understanding and preventing bone injuries in athletes 

45:25 Bone injuries and stress fractures

49:25 Personal experiences as underfuelled athletes

53:35 End of the podcast questions; Where to find Emily