1
|
Smith ES, McKay AKA, Kuikman M, Ackerman KE, Harris R, Elliott-Sale KJ, Stellingwerff T, Burke LM. Managing Female Athlete Health: Auditing the Representation of Female versus Male Participants among Research in Supplements to Manage Diagnosed Micronutrient Issues. Nutrients 2022; 14:3372. [PMID: 36014878 PMCID: PMC9412577 DOI: 10.3390/nu14163372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Micronutrient deficiencies and sub-optimal intakes among female athletes are a concern and are commonly prevented or treated with medical supplements. However, it is unclear how well women have been considered in the research underpinning current supplementation practices. We conducted an audit of the literature supporting the use of calcium, iron, and vitamin D. Of the 299 studies, including 25,171 participants, the majority (71%) of participants were women. Studies with exclusively female cohorts (37%) were also more prevalent than those examining males in isolation (31%). However, study designs considering divergent responses between sexes were sparse, accounting for 7% of the literature. Moreover, despite the abundance of female participants, the quality and quantity of the literature specific to female athletes was poor. Just 32% of studies including women defined menstrual status, while none implemented best-practice methodologies regarding ovarian hormonal control. Additionally, only 10% of studies included highly trained female athletes. Investigations of calcium supplementation were particularly lacking, with just two studies conducted in highly trained women. New research should focus on high-quality investigations specific to female athletes, alongside evaluating sex-based differences in the response to calcium, iron, and vitamin D, thus ensuring the specific needs of women have been considered in current protocols involving medical supplements.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ella S. Smith
- Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
| | - Alannah K. A. McKay
- Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
| | - Megan Kuikman
- Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
| | - Kathryn E. Ackerman
- Wu Tsai Female Athlete Program, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Rachel Harris
- Female Athlete Performance and Health Initiative, Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra, ACT 2617, Australia
- Perth Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Research Institute, West Perth, WA 6005, Australia
| | | | - Trent Stellingwerff
- Canadian Sport Institute-Pacific, Institute for Sport Excellence, 4371 Interurban Road, Victoria, BC V9E 2C5, Canada
- Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Louise M. Burke
- Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Rátgéber L, Betlehem J, Calleja-Gonzalez J, Ostojic SM. Basketball for Health: Should We Hop and Shoot for a Remedy? Mayo Clin Proc 2019; 94:364-365. [PMID: 30711134 DOI: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2018.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2018] [Accepted: 11/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Julio Calleja-Gonzalez
- Department of Physical Activity and Sports, University of the Basque Country, Vitoria, Spain
| | - Sergej M Ostojic
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pécs, Hungary; Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University of Novi Sad, Serbia
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Ward KD. Reflections on 15 Years in the Global Tobacco Trenches. HEALTH BEHAVIOR RESEARCH 2017; 1:5. [PMID: 29338064 PMCID: PMC5761747 DOI: 10.4148/2572-1836.1007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper is based on my 2017 Research Laureate Presentation at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Academy of Health Behavior in Tucson, Arizona. It provides a brief overview of the history of the smoking epidemic, and describes my work in global tobacco control, focusing on my experiences over the last 15 years as a co-founder and intervention director of the Syrian Center for Tobacco Studies (SCTS) in Aleppo, Syria. The SCTS is an NIH-funded research center that draws on a broad range of complementary expertise and resources from developed and developing nations to address the tobacco epidemic in the Arab World. The SCTS strives to serve as a model of scientific excellence and commitment to the health of people in the Middle East and beyond. Major research streams using qualitative, epidemiological, clinical lab, and intervention methodologies are reviewed, along with some of the successes and challenges encountered since the SCTS's founding.
Collapse
|