Refeed Protocols: What the Research Supports (and What It Doesn't)
Carbohydrate loading for performance has strong evidence. Refeeds as a treatment for RED-S do not. Here's what the research actually supports, and what remains experimental.
Confounders That Look Like RED-S: Cycle Phase, Illness, Alcohol, Training Spikes
Luteal phase, viral illness, alcohol, heavy training blocks, travel, and sleep debt produce biomarker signatures almost identical to underfueling. Here's how to tell them apart.
Biomarker Signatures of Underfueling: Sleep, HRV, RHR, and Their Limits
The physiological signatures of low energy availability show up in HRV, resting heart rate, sleep, body mass, and menstrual function. Each signal is real and each has significant limits.
energy-availability red-s calculation measurement-error fat-free-mass exercise-energy-expenditure July 30, 2026
How Energy Availability Is Calculated (and Why It's Harder Than It Looks)
Energy availability looks like a simple subtraction, but each input (intake, exercise expenditure, fat-free mass) has 10–30 percent measurement error. Here's what that means.
What Is RED-S? A Literacy Guide for Athletes and Active Adults
Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) explained in plain language — the body systems it affects, who is at risk, what diagnosis actually involves, and why wearables cannot detect it.
Energy Availability and RED-S: A Data-Literate Guide to Recognizing Underfueling
Energy availability, RED-S risk factors, biomarker signatures of underfueling, and the confounders that mimic them — plus where data stops and clinical assessment begins.