[1] Generally, once the activity is started, it is difficult to stop, because the person is seen as being addicted to the method adopted.
Anorexia athletica is used to refer to "a disorder for athletes who engage in at least one unhealthy method of weight control".
People feel like that is not enough and start working out excessively and cutting back their caloric intake, until it becomes a psychological disorder.
There are limited studies on the exact prevalence of anorexia athletica, but it has been found to be more common among elite athletes than the general population.
If anorexia athletica persists for long enough, the individual can become malnourished, which eventually leads to further complications in major organs such as the liver, kidney, heart and brain.
[8] The media play a very significant role in pressuring athletes to have the perfect body and to be thin, which can also trigger sports anorexia.