Part-4 of the blog mini-series on RED-S By Dr Nicky Keay As described in previous blogs, the female athlete triad (disordered eating, amenorrhoea, low bone mineral density) is part of Relative Energy Deficiency in sports (RED-S). RED-S has multi-system effects and can affect both female and male athletes together with young athletes. The fundamental issue is a mismatch of […]
By Dr Nicky Keay The Endocrine system comprises various glands distributed throughout the body that secrete hormones to circulate in the blood stream. These chemical messengers, have effects on a vast range of tissue types, organs and therefore regulate metabolic and physiological processes occurring in systems throughout the body. The various hormones produced by the Endocrine system do not work […]
Part-3 of the blog mini-series on RED-S By Dr Nicky Keay In my previous blogs, I described the adverse effects of Relative Energy Deficiency in sports (RED-S) in both female and male athletes- current health and sport performance and potential long term health problems. What about young aspiring athletes? There is concern that early sport specialisation, imbalances in training […]
Part-2 of the blog mini-series on RED-S By Dr Nicky Keay If you are a male athlete, or work with male athletes, and think that Relative Energy Deficiency in sport (RED-S) is just a problem for females, think again. As discussed in my previous blog Optimal health: including female athletes! Part 1 Bones, the female athlete triad […]
Part-1 of the blog mini-series on RED-S By Dr Nicky Keay It is hard to dispute that women are underrepresented in medical research and certainly there are not many studies that include female athletes. Does this matter? After all whatever your gender, the same physiological and metabolic processes occur. However, the Endocrine system is where there are […]
By Dr Nicky Keay The Holy Grail of any training program is to improve performance and achieve goals. Periodisation of training is essential in order to maximise beneficial adaptations for improved performance. Physiological adaptations occur after exercise during the rest period, with repeated exercise/rest cycles leading to “super adaptation”. Adaptations occur at the system level, for […]
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. – World Health Organisation 1948 By Dr Nicky Keay There has been criticism of this definition, arguing that the word “complete” has opened the door to today’s more medicalised society. However, this trend coincides with increased volume of “patients” seeking […]
“Sleep.. chief nourisher in life’s feast,” Macbeth. By Dr Nicky Keay A recovery strategy vital to support both health and sport performance, during all stages of the training cycle is sleep. In this blog I outline the importance of sleep for athletes of all ages and calibres. Young athletes Sufficient sleep is especially important in young athletes […]