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.
Author
- Zoe John
Lecturer in Criminology, Swansea University
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".
Extreme tactics
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".
Eating disorders don't discriminate
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.
If anything in this article causes distress or concern about eating disorders, visit the BEAT website for more information and support .
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.
