What are the effects off gymnastics? Why are the effects in gymnastics more serious than other sports? Gymnastics is an exceedingly competitive sport, one of the hardest sports in the world, and the effects can be quite extreme. One of the effects are eating disorders. The stereotypical image of a gymnast can lead to serious problems like anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. According to an article from Mirror, teens Amber Ballantyne-Styles and Rhiannon Owen felt they were required to starve themselves. They spent seven months fighting anorexia. They were on the border of breakdown after being told to eat low-carb diets, were required to keep food diaries and show them to their coaches, and were weighed multiple times in training sessions.