Table 1.
Summary of the main findings in three-stage EA reduction phases
| 25% EA reduction (14 days), stage 1 | 50% EA reduction (14 days), stage 2 | 75% EA reduction (10 days), stage 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean EA (kCal·kg∙FFM·d−1) | 22.4 ± 6.3 | 17.3 ± 5.0 | 8.82 ± 3.33 |
| Correlations to EA | Increased cognitive restriction (r = 0.528, p = 0.039) | Hemoglobin (r = −0.557, p = 0.30) and testosterone (r = −0.532, p = 0.037), anaerobic threshold (r = −0.597, p = 0.02) and respiratory compensation point (r = −0.575, p = 0.025) | A trend for the lower TSH (p = 0.079), higher insulin (p = 0.072) |
| Significant changes in body composition | Lower body fat percent (t [12] = 3.36, p = 0.006) | Reduced body mass (t [11] = 5.19, p = 0.0001, r = 0.85), body fat (t [11] = 2.41, p = 0.037, r = 0.54) and a tendency for lower FFM (t [11] = 3.03, p = 0.069, r = 0.54) | |
| Blood parameters, that changed significantly | Hemoglobin (t [12] = 2.65, p = 0.022), a tendency for lower iron (p = 0.066) and IGF-1 (p = 0.077) | A tendency for reduced hemoglobin (p = 0.100) and IGF-1 (p = 0.065) | Reduced T3 values (t [11] = 2.65, p = 0.024, r = 0.64) and a tendency for lower testosterone (t [11] = 1.84, p = 0.095) |
| Performance parameters, that changed significantly | Reduced explosive power (t [12] = 4.57, p = 0.001), altered lactate metabolism (t [12] = 2.84, p = 0.016) | Reduced power output (t [12] = 2.69, p = 0.021) and relative power output (t [12] = 2.34, p = 0.036), reduced explosive power (t [12] = 6.41, p = 0.0001), altered lactate metabolism (p = 0.001) | Reduced power output (t [11] = 2.30, p = 0.044), explosive power (t [11] = 5.93, p = 0.0001) and significantly lower lactate values (p = 0.0001) |
| Psychological parameters, that changed significantly | Poorer well-being (t [12] = 2.385, p = 0.036) | Ppoorer well-being (t [12] = 4.11, p = 0.002) and eating behaviors (t [12] = −2.71, p = 0.020) | Poorer well-being (t [11] = 5.13, p = 0.0001), eating behaviors (t [11] = −4.28, p = 0.002) and increased cognitive restriction (t [11] = −2.56, p = 0.028) |
| Number of subjects with mREE/pREE<0.9 | 3/12 | 3/12 | 5/12 |