Exercise Addiction in Athletes: a Systematic Review of the Literature

Athletes train on a pre-determined training schedule. Scheduled behaviors are difficult to become addictive because urges and cravings cannot be scheduled. Still, many scholars think that elite or competitive athletes can become addicted to their sport or exercise. The aim of this systematic literature review was to analyze scholastic papers on exercise addiction in athletes with a special view on their focus and prevalence estimates. Four databases were scrutinized, including PsycINFO, PubMed/Medline, Crossref, and ScienceDirect, which resulted in 17 eligible articles based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The bulk of these studies compared athletes to non-athletes and employed a cross-sectional design. Their results suggest that the risk of exercise addiction is greater in athletes than non-athletes, along with a prevalence rate of up to >40%, which is ten times greater than that reported in a population-wide study. These findings are in discord with the definition and conceptualization of exercise addiction, which, according to previous calls, begs for the urgent clearer conceptualization of exercise addiction.

Automated summary

Elite or competitive athletes may become addicted to their sport or exercise, with a prevalence rate of up to >40% reported in some studies. The risk of exercise addiction is found to be greater in athletes compared to non-athletes, suggesting a need for clearer conceptualization of exercise addiction.