Any woman will tell you that their health, training, and nutrition needs are different to that of a man, but yet much of the research data in the field of sports nutrition has come from male subjects. So, what if exercise and nutrition practitioners could personalise their advice to the particular needs of female athletes, and in particular, the unique case presentations of individual female clients? Would their health and performance improve?
In this podcast, host Ian Craig asks nutrition and genetic practitioner, Karen Harrison, about the way she works with female athletes, which leads into a guided tour of the phases of life in active women. Specifically, Karen addresses the now-popular notion of periodising training and nutrition around the menstrual cycle, she considers the peri-menopausal years, adding nutrition and lifestyle recommendations to make the transition into menopause easier, and she also talks about supporting active ageing women, who have ‘healthspan’ in mind. The ultimate focus of this podcast is to emphasise the individualised health needs of a woman, considering her nutritional intake, exercise training, stress load, and unique hormone rhythms.
About Karen
Karen Harrison MSc BSc is the owner of Team Gene, providing genetic reports for active individuals, looking into energy production, repair potential, sleep and lifestyle. Her main objective with genetic testing is to create a bespoke report specifically for the individual, depending on their health concerns and the type of training they are doing. Karen is one of 45 alumni from St Mary’s University in Twickenham who completed an MSc in Nutrition and Genetics. She also holds a BSc in Nutritional Science from CNELM, and has been lecturing for seven years in this subject, and has run her own nutrition clinic since 2010.
Also listen to the webinar by Karen Harrison on iron metabolism – A novel approach to regulating iron levels without iron supplementation
Also listen to the elimination diet webinar by Kylene Bogden, mentioned by Karen and Ian – Elimination diets & athletic performance
Relevant research links and resources for this podcast
Below are a list of research articles and areas of academic enquiry within the field of life phases of female athletes, mentioned by Karen and Ian during their interview:
How the menstrual cycle may influence injury susceptibility
Injury Incidence Across the Menstrual Cycle in International Footballers – Martin et al., 2021
Menstrual Cycle and Sport Injuries: A Systematic Review – Martínez-Fortuny et al., 2023
Strength during different phases of the menstrual cycle
Effects of follicular versus luteal phase-based strength training in young women – Sung et al., 2014
The pregnenolone steal concept
Re-assessing the Notion of “Pregnenolone Steal” – Guilliams, 2017
CYP detoxification enzymes required to deactivate oestrogen and testosterone
COMT enzyme to methylate oestrogen for safe clearance
Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs)
Oestrogen is protective of the gut lining
The roles of estrogen and estrogen receptors in gastrointestinal disease – Chen et al., 2019
