Research
Energy balance
High energy expenditure during combat training and field exercises, often exceeding 4000-7000 kcal/day, combined with limited energy intake, leads to Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) syndrome, causing detrimental health and performance outcomes.
During intense training or deployment, your body may burn 4000-7000+ calories. If you don't eat enough to match this, you risk RED-S, which harms your hormones, bones, and immune system. Prioritize eating enough to cover your energy expenditure to maintain long-term health and performance.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Military personnel experience periods of energy deficit during combat training and field exercises... During field training and duty, the averaged estimated energy requirement is around 4000 kcal/day, and it can be greater than 7000 kcal/day [64,65]. Therefore, daily energy deficits are common and are caused by the high energy expenditure of training and combat [66].
Why this rating
Supported by citations [64-68] and consensus statements, though specific RCTs for military-specific RED-S treatment are noted as lacking.
Source
Eating- and Weight-Related Disorders in the Armed Forces
Hubertus Himmerich et al. · Metabolites · 2024
DOI 10.3390/metabo14120667
narrative_reviewCited 3×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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