Athletes aren't always healthy: the prevalence of eating disorders in sport

Participation in sports during adolescence is supposed to be good for self-confidence but often the opposite happens, sometimes with fatal consequences. What I'm referring to is an article e-mailed to us by one of our readers, Jeremy. It documents a study that explores the prevalence of eating disorders in athletes. Strong, healthy bodies are required of most athletes, but sometimes being lean seems more important than being strong, and in serious athletes -- people who by nature are accustomed to setting their sites high and sacrificing for the ultimate goal -- the desire for the perfect body can lead to cases of anorexia and bulimia.

In fact, the statistics are so alarming that it's being said that among female college athletes, a third of them suffer from some sort of eating disorder. A third. That's truly frightening. What's also scary is that in fit individuals who are already thin, the disorder can sometimes be overlooked because being thin and being highly active are linked.

Read the article and let me know your thoughts.