Eating disorders are characterized by abnormal, unhealthy eating habits, and disordered body image. In severe cases, it can cause serious health consequences, including cardiac problems, osteoporosis, infertility, or missing menstrual periods. In women competitively training sports, the main cause for disordered eating behaviours are factors associated with dissatisfaction with their appearance and body image and a need to reduce body weight. Factors related to dissatisfaction with one’s own appearance and body image, a need to reduce body weight, a negative perception of themselves and their bodies, the pressure in sports circles, and stress are predictors for eating disorders. The aim of the study was to compare eating behaviours, body satisfaction, and taking various actions related to body mass reduction among women training competitively in volleyball, athletics, gymnastics, and young women not participating in sports. Material and methods: The study covered a group of girls and young women from the Silesian, Poland, who represented three sports disciplines (volleyball, athletics, and gymnastics), of which 30 girls were used as a control group (B). The study was conducted using a study questionnaire. Results: The study participants ate regularly and consumed all food groups during a week. The majority of girls from A1 (83.33%), A3 (53.33%), and B (80%) groups expressed their dissatisfaction with their body weight. In the group of gymnasts, a positive correlation was noted between the need to reduce body weight and regular eating (r = 0.449; p = 0.013). In the group of volleyball players, it was demonstrated that the higher the competitive experience and the greater the training load, the more regular their eating was (r = 0.475; p = 0.009). Conclusions: The importance of a diagnosis of early signs of eating disorders in girls and women as a basic component contributing to FAT development implies that further studies in this area, as well as education of the entire sports circle are necessary.

Introduction and objective: Hashimoto’s disease, the most common cause of hypothyroidism, may present a variety of non-specific symptoms, including those related to the musculoskeletal system, such as pain in muscles, joints, stiffness or numbness. These symptoms significantly reduce the...

Quality of life (QOL) has become an important public health issue. Adults presenting better QOL have shown reduced mortality and risk of chronic diseases and better mental health. Regular physical activity (PA) is consistently associated with a number of health benefits in older adults, including betted QOL, which is a key component of healthy aging. The purpose of the study was to examine how physical activity level and age influenced QOL in adults. Material and Methods: A total of 378 adults from Poland participated in the study (mean age of 57.89 ± 12.54). Respondents completed questionnaires to measure QOL (WHOQOL-BREF) and physical activity level (International Physical Activity Questionnaire—short form). Linear regression analysis was used to examine the effect of age and PA on QOL. Results: Weekly energy expenditure associated with recreational physical activity was correlated with better QOL in all domains: physical (R = 0.5, p < 0.001), physiological (R = 0.4, p < 0.001), social (R = 0.3, p < 0.001) and environmental (R = 0.39, p < 0.001). Increases in PA level predicted increases in the physiological domain (β = 0.41, SE = 0.05, p < 0.001), social domain (β = 0.34, SE = 0.05, p < 0.001) and environmental domain (β = 0.39, SE = 0.05, p < 0.001). In the physical domain, increases in both physical activity level (β = 0.41, SE = 0.04, p < 0.001) and age (β = 0.31, SE = 0.04, p < 0.001) predicted better QOL. Conclusions: Our findings emphasize the potential benefits of physical activity on QOL regardless of age. Although aging is combined with various age-related diseases, quality of life improves with age in physically active adults.