Unhealthy Weight Loss
Cutting weight is a common occurrence in the sport of wrestling. The process of cutting weight allows a wrestler to compete at a lower weight class, facing lighter opponents. The advantage is gained when the wrestler loses only water-weight and fat-weight, but retains lean body mass. The wrestler then re-hydrates himself after weighing-in but before competition begins. If done properly, a wrestler who does cut weight can gain a very significant strength and weight advantage over opponents who do not.
Unfortunately, cutting weight is oftentimes done in an unhealthy way which can cause negative conditions both in the short and the long term. Dehydration can result when a wrestler severely reduces intake of fluids while maintaining rigorous daily workouts. This may result in cramps or rarely, in extreme cases, heatstroke and swelling of the brain which causes seizures and hypovolemic shock. Malnutrition can also result if cutting weight over long periods of time. Long term weight cutting can mean that a wrestler does not intake essential nutrients like protein, calories, vitamin B, vitamin B2, iron, and zinc; this can result in depression, muscular atrophy, and fevers.
Some wrestlers, if weigh-in time is approaching and they have not yet reached their weight class, will resort to desperate measures such as throwing up or abusing diuretics to quickly lose the remaining weight. Extreme weight cutting can have similar effects to anorexia nervosa and bulimia but result from entirely different psychological mechanisms.
Every state in American high school wrestling uses national hydration assessment tests. These tests analyze body fat percentages at the alpha weight and determine how much weight a wrestler can lose each week. When a wrestler reaches the minimum body fat percentage of 7% of their alpha fat composition it is illegal for the wrestler to cut any more weight. This system is meant to make cutting weight as healthy as possible and reduce the negative side effects of cutting.
Read more about this topic: Scholastic Wrestling
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