The integrative systems biology perspective is slowly and progressively seeping into sport and exercise nutrition practice. This way of working considers the health of an athlete’s digestive tract, neuroendocrine, immune, and musculoskeletal systems, along with factors such as mitochondrial energy production from available macronutrients; all of which can be measured by laboratory testing.
Dr Brown has honed his craft to assess the state of these body systems using functional laboratory testing, and talks to Ian Craig about his clinical experiences. In this podcast, Warren considers what is different about an athlete’s body compared to that of a lay person, and shares some of his favourite tests that he uses in a sporting context.
What’s more, not all important clinical information can be found in laboratory test reports, no matter how detailed, so Warren tells Ian about the ‘X-factors’ that he includes within the assessment and treatment of his athletic clients.
About Warren Brown
Dr. Warren Brown earned his doctorate degree from The School of Naturopathic Medicine at Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington, followed by completion of a CNME-accredited, clinical residency program in Tacoma, Washington. He has lectured at functional medicine conferences worldwide on the topic of laboratory testing and was a contributor to the 5th Edition of the Textbook of Natural Medicine. Since 2012, Dr. Brown has been helping athletes and active individuals to reach their highest levels of health and performance through his advanced clinical program. He currently serves as the Clinical Science Liaison for Genova Diagnostics, as well as a laboratory consultant for medical staff from several professional sports teams and Olympic teams.
Relevant research links for this podcast
Below are a list of research articles and areas of academic enquiry within the field of immunity, mentioned by Warren and Ian during their interview:
A review of the gastrointestinal microbiome in athletes
Exercise-induced stress behavior, gut-microbiota-brain axis and diet – Clark and Mach, 2016
Increased microbiome diversity in athletes
Meta-omics analysis of elite athletes identifies a performance-enhancing microbe that functions via lactate metabolism – Scheiman et al., 2019
Increased and decreased sIgA in athletes
Endurance exercise and gut microbiota: A review – Mach and Fuster-Botella, 2017
Antioxidant supplementation in athletes
Redox mechanism of reactive oxygen species in exercise – He et al., 2016
Chocolate milk research for exercise recovery
Chocolate milk: a post-exercise recovery beverage for endurance sports – Pritchett and Pritchett, 2012
Cortisol awakening response and overtraining
Effects of overtraining status on the cortisol awakening response-endocrine and metabolic responses on overtraining syndrome – Anderson et al., 2021
Warren’s biochemistry textbook
Marks’ Essentials of Medical Biochemistry: A Clinical Approach
To read more about testing sIgA within a case study
Exercise-induced gastrointestinal dysfunction in endurance athletes – Katherine Caris-Harris
