Energy balance
Maintaining adequate energy availability (≥45 kcal·kg LBM⁻¹·day⁻¹) is essential to prevent stress fractures and optimize bone health in athletes, as low energy availability directly reduces bone formation and increases bone resorption.
To prevent stress fractures, ensure your daily energy intake relative to your lean body mass is at least 45 kcal per kg of lean body mass. If you struggle to hit this number due to high training loads, consider cycling your energy intake: maintain higher availability during training blocks and strategically lower it only during specific race-weight phases, but never chronically below this threshold.
Maintaining an energy availability of 45 kcal·kg LBM−1·day−1 over time is likely to be important in optimizing bone health in the athlete and, potentially, in helping to protect the bone against the development of bone injuries.
Why this rating
The paper cites observational and mechanistic studies (e.g., Ihle and Loucks, 2004; Papageorgiou et al., 2018b) but notes a relative dearth of direct prospective intervention trials specifically on bone injury prevention.
Source
Nutrition for the Prevention and Treatment of Injuries in Track and Field Athletes
Graeme L. Close et al. · International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism · 2019
DOI 10.1123/ijsnem.2018-0290
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