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Indian Express
12-05-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
‘I don't even recognise myself anymore': reality of eating disorders in sport
The UK is facing what charities are calling an eating disorder epidemic, with an estimated 1.25 million people affected. These conditions have the highest mortality rate of any mental health illness, making early intervention and education urgent. Yet, within the world of sport, eating disorders often go undetected and unchallenged. Disordered behaviour, such as restricting food intake, purging, binge eating, or abusing laxatives, are sometimes normalised in competitive environments, embedded into routines and disguised as dedication. Eating disorders thrive in silence. They're secretive, isolating and can affect athletes of all genders, ages and backgrounds, whether at grassroots or elite levels. In sport, several factors can trigger or worsen disordered behaviour: pressure to perform, body dissatisfaction, weight-category requirements and cultural ideals of what an 'athletic' body should look like. In this context, harmful practices like dehydration, extreme weight-cutting and overtraining often become accepted – and are sometimes even encouraged. In some sports, the risks are tragically clear. Take bodybuilding. One heartbreaking example is 20-year-old Jodi Vance, who died from heart failure caused by dehydration during preparations for a competition. In combat sports and martial arts, eating disorders are frequently acknowledged, yet meaningful solutions are rarely discussed. Fighters like Paige VanZant and Kay Hansen have openly shared their struggles with disordered eating, which in many sports, is still dismissed as just 'part of the process'. Even worse, some coaches perpetuate a toxic culture by fat-shaming athletes or joking about serious conditions like bulimia. In such environments, young athletes can become trapped in cycles of physical and emotional harm. A post shared by West Ham United Women (@westhamwomen) In my own research with UK-based mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters, I spent months observing and interviewing athletes across various gyms. Many described extreme weight-loss tactics before fights – dropping both fat and water weight in dangerously short time frames. These methods took a toll on both their bodies and mental health. I witnessed fighters collapse from exhaustion and dehydration. I heard coaches make jokes about eating disorders. One fighter told me: 'I don't even recognise myself anymore,' echoing the public experiences of UFC fighter Paddy Pimblett, who has shared his struggles with binge eating and body image. These stories hit close to home. During my own time in MMA, I developed atypical anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder. I was praised for rapid weight loss – not for my skill or performance. At one point, I was training to the point of experiencing heart palpitations, dizziness and nausea. Yet, these symptoms were brushed off as signs of 'good training'. Even when I lived in a larger body, I was still suffering from an eating disorder. This is a crucial reminder: you cannot tell if someone is unwell just by looking at them. This isn't just an issue in fight sports. Disordered eating affects athletes across many disciplines. Footballer Katrina Gorry, cricketer Freddy Flintoff and cyclist Davide Cimolai are just a few high-profile athletes who have spoken publicly about their experiences. In fact, disordered thoughts can affect athletes at any stage of their careers. Today, even after competing internationally in American football and Australian rules football, I still live with disordered thinking around food and body image. Elite female athletes can be particularly vulnerable. According to the 2023 female athlete health report, 74% of respondents said they didn't feel like they looked like an athlete and 91% worried about their calorie intake. The 2024 BBC study on elite British sportswomen found similar results, reflecting the persistent pressure to conform to narrow body ideals. There have been some encouraging policy changes. In MMA, emergency rules now ban extreme weight-cutting methods like IV rehydration, where fluids and electrolytes are administered directly into a vein, bypassing the digestive system. British Gymnastics, the body governing competitive gymnastics in the UK, has banned coaches from weighing athletes – a major move given the sport's documented issues. However, these steps are just the beginning. Power imbalances still exist across many sports, where coaches wield enormous influence over an athlete's health, body and sense of self. Coaches can either be a force for recovery – or part of the problem. They must be better trained to spot early signs of disordered behaviour, provide support and promote a culture that values mental wellbeing over appearance. To create safer sporting environments, we need better signposting for athletes on how to get help, education for coaches and staff on eating disorder awareness, a cultural shift from bodily perfection and towards sustainable performance and health and athlete-first policies that protect both physical and mental wellbeing. Recovery is possible. But prevention – through awareness, education and empathy – can save lives long before treatment is ever needed. Sport should be a place for strength, growth and resilience – not hidden harm.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
‘I don't even recognise myself anymore': the reality of eating disorders in sport
The UK is facing what charities are calling an eating disorder epidemic, with an estimated 1.25 million people affected. These conditions have the highest mortality rate of any mental health illness, making early intervention and education urgent. Yet, within the world of sport, eating disorders often go undetected and unchallenged. Disordered behaviour, such as restricting food intake, purging, binge eating, or abusing laxatives, are sometimes normalised in competitive environments, embedded into routines and disguised as dedication. Eating disorders thrive in silence. They're secretive, isolating and can affect athletes of all genders, ages and backgrounds, whether at grassroots or elite levels. In sport, several factors can trigger or worsen disordered behaviour: pressure to perform, body dissatisfaction, weight-category requirements and cultural ideals of what an 'athletic' body should look like. In this context, harmful practices like dehydration, extreme weight-cutting and overtraining often become accepted – and are sometimes even encouraged. Read more: In some sports, the risks are tragically clear. Take bodybuilding. One heartbreaking example is 20-year-old Jodi Vance, who died from heart failure caused by dehydration during preparations for a competition. In combat sports and martial arts, eating disorders are frequently acknowledged, yet meaningful solutions are rarely discussed. Fighters like Paige VanZant and Kay Hansen have openly shared their struggles with disordered eating, which in many sports, is still dismissed as just 'part of the process'. Even worse, some coaches perpetuate a toxic culture by fat-shaming athletes or joking about serious conditions like bulimia. In such environments, young athletes can become trapped in cycles of physical and emotional harm. In my own research with UK-based mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters, I spent months observing and interviewing athletes across various gyms. Many described extreme weight-loss tactics before fights – dropping both fat and water weight in dangerously short time frames. These methods took a toll on both their bodies and mental health. I witnessed fighters collapse from exhaustion and dehydration. I heard coaches make jokes about eating disorders. One fighter told me: 'I don't even recognise myself anymore,' echoing the public experiences of UFC fighter Paddy Pimblett, who has shared his struggles with binge eating and body image. These stories hit close to home. During my own time in MMA, I developed atypical anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder. I was praised for rapid weight loss – not for my skill or performance. At one point, I was training to the point of experiencing heart palpitations, dizziness and nausea. Yet, these symptoms were brushed off as signs of 'good training'. Even when I lived in a larger body, I was still suffering from an eating disorder. This is a crucial reminder: you cannot tell if someone is unwell just by looking at them. This isn't just an issue in fight sports. Disordered eating affects athletes across many disciplines. Footballer Katrina Gorry, cricketer Freddy Flintoff and cyclist Davide Cimolai are just a few high-profile athletes who have spoken publicly about their experiences. In fact, disordered thoughts can affect athletes at any stage of their careers. Today, even after competing internationally in American football and Australian rules football, I still live with disordered thinking around food and body image. Elite female athletes can be particularly vulnerable. According to the 2023 female athlete health report, 74% of respondents said they didn't feel like they looked like an athlete and 91% worried about their calorie intake. The 2024 BBC study on elite British sportswomen found similar results, reflecting the persistent pressure to conform to narrow body ideals. Read more: There have been some encouraging policy changes. In MMA, emergency rules now ban extreme weight-cutting methods like IV rehydration, where fluids and electrolytes are administered directly into a vein, bypassing the digestive system. British Gymnastics, the body governing competitive gymnastics in the UK, has banned coaches from weighing athletes – a major move given the sport's documented issues. However, these steps are just the beginning. Power imbalances still exist across many sports, where coaches wield enormous influence over an athlete's health, body and sense of self. Coaches can either be a force for recovery – or part of the problem. They must be better trained to spot early signs of disordered behaviour, provide support and promote a culture that values mental wellbeing over appearance. To create safer sporting environments, we need better signposting for athletes on how to get help, education for coaches and staff on eating disorder awareness, a cultural shift from bodily perfection and towards sustainable performance and health and athlete-first policies that protect both physical and mental wellbeing. Recovery is possible. But prevention – through awareness, education and empathy – can save lives long before treatment is ever needed. Sport should be a place for strength, growth and resilience – not hidden harm. If anything in this article causes distress or concern about eating disorders, visit the BEAT website for more information and support. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Zoe John received funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) for her Doctoral research. Zoe also volunteers as a lived experience ambassador for the eating disorder charity, Beat.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Coroner releases cause of death for bodybuilding coach in Columbus for Arnold Festival
A Texas bodybuilding coach who died while in Columbus for the Arnold Sports Festival in February died of cardiac arrhythmia due to dehydration and electrolyte complications, the Franklin County Coroner's Office reported Friday. Jodi Vance, 20, of Amarillo, Texas, died on Feb. 27 after she was transported from her room at the Sonesta Columbus Downtown hotel near the festival to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, The Dispatch previously reported. According to an autopsy report from the coroner's office, Vance died from "dehydration with electrolyte and metabolic derangement in the setting of bodybuilding competition preparation." Her death has been ruled an accident. The coroner's report states that Vance had not been drinking water in the days leading up to the event and had been throwing up. She was provided IV fluids from a hydration company before she became unresponsive and was transported to the emergency room. An Arnold Sports Festival spokesperson said Vance was not a vendor or competitor at the event. In a post on Instagram the day after Vance's death, her family said her heart stopped due to complications of severe dehydration. "She was a beautiful person inside and out and she will be missed every single day ... If anyone takes anything from this, please put your health first," the post stated. Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@ at ShahidMeighan on X, and at on Bluesky. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Coroner reveals what killed bodybuilder in Columbus for Arnold Festival
The Independent
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Bodybuilder Jodi Vance, 20, dies from heart attack at Ohio fitness festival
A 20-year-old bodybuilder died unexpectedly last week while coaching at a fitness competition in Columbus, Ohio, her family has said. Jodi Vance of Amarillo, Texas, was pronounced dead at 12:51 p.m. Thursday after paramedics transported her from the Sonesta Columbus Downtown hotel near the Arnold Sports Festival to the Grant Medical Center, the Franklin County Coroner's Office confirmed. The coroner's office did not reveal any information on what prompted her sudden and unexpected death. Her family speculated that her death was caused by a heart attack, brought on by dehydration. The Fitness Volt reported that Vance had been backstage supporting competitors when she began to feel unwell, vomiting and exhibiting other dehydration-related symptoms. Her coach Justin Mihaly confirmed to the outlet, that she had not been participating in the event and was 20 weeks out from her next competition. A spokesperson from the Arnold Sports Festival confirmed to The Columbus Dispatch that Vance had not been a vendor or competitor at the four-day event. Her family posted a heartfelt post to Instagram Friday following her shocking death: 'For those that haven't heard yet, Jodi passed away yesterday afternoon.' 'Her heart stopped due to complications of severe dehydration. Despite all efforts by the hospital, they were unable to revive her. She was a beautiful person inside and out and she will be missed every single day. This was sudden and unexpected. 'Please give her family time to process this loss in peace. If anyone takes anything from this, please put your health first.' Vance had studied for a degree in Sports and Exercise Science at West Texas A&M University before she started competing as a professional bodybuilder. According to her social media, which amassed nearly 9K followers on TikTok, Vance had worked as a brand specialist for fitness apparel brands Better Bodies and Gasp. Her videos often featured workout routines and appearances at competitions. In her final Facebook post, Vance posted a series of photos from November 2021 and February 2025 showing off her body development. 'It takes time,' the caption read. On that profile, Vance says that she is engaged to a woman named April Spears. The pair became engaged last October. On her LinkedIn page, Vance said that she had been working as a bodybuilding coach since 2023. She graduated from West Texas A&M University in December 2024 with a bachelor's in sports and exercise science.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bodybuilding coach and athlete, 20, dies attending Arnold Sports Festival
A bodybuilding coach and athlete in Columbus for the Arnold Sports Festival died Thursday, the Franklin County Coroner's Office confirmed. Jodi Vance, 20, was transported to Grant Medical Center from the festival and was pronounced dead there at 12:51 p.m. Thursday, a coroner's office spokesman said. The coroner's office has not released any information about what may have caused her death. In a post on Vance's Instagram, family said her heart stopped due to complications of severe dehydration and asked for time to process the loss. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jodi Vance (@ "She was a beautiful person inside and out and she will be missed every single day ... If anyone takes anything from this, please put your health first," the post stated. The Arnold Sports Festival has not responded to a request for comment. bagallion@ This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Jodi Vance, bodybuilder, coach dies attending Arnold Sports Festival
