Clinical Research Directory

Preventing Athlete Under-fueling Through Nutrition.

The goal is to improve nutrition screening and support for Division III athletes. The study will use standard, low-risk nutrition screening methods, such as measuring height, weight, grip strength, and body composition, as well as having athletes complete questionnaires. Dietitians trained in sports nutrition will provide nutrition advice based on these screenings. Data will be collected at three points during the season: before the season starts, mid-season, and after the season ends. This study builds on earlier research conducted at Case Western Reserve University that showed nutrition support can improve athletes' health and performance.

Energy Availability and Its Impact in Elite Triathletes

This study investigates how energy availability affects performance, injury risk, and training outcomes in elite triathletes. Over two competitive seasons (2026-2027), 40 elite and sub-elite triathletes will be monitored through physiological tests, blood samples, and questionnaires. The goal is to identify markers of low energy availability and understand its impact on health and athletic performance. The study is observational and does not involve experimental treatments. Participants continue their regular training and diet while undergoing periodic assessments.

Impact of Diet-induced Change in Energy Balance on Metabolism in Endurance Athletes

Recent research has suggested that increasing levels of physical activity are associated with a reduction in the independent components that contribute to total energy expenditure (such as resting metabolic rate and non-exercise movement) - this occurs to conserve energy required for physical activity where energy provision becomes scarce. There are potential deleterious health and performance consequences of a reduced energy supply to fundamental metabolic processes, putting individuals regularly undertaking high levels of physical activity, such as endurance athletes, at risk. However, this association is largely based on observational data in only moderately active populations, and it is currently unclear what role energy balance status and biological sex has on this relationship. This research intends to address these unknowns by assessing the impact of diet-induced manipulation of energy balance (conditions of energy deficit and energy surplus) in individuals undertaking habitually high levels of physical activity on independent components of total energy expenditure (resting metabolism, exercise and non-exercise movement). Male and female athletes conducting regular moderate-to-high training volumes will undertake a randomised crossover study with a 7-day state of energy deficit and a 7-day state of energy surplus. Participants will continue to live and train as normal, but their diet will be controlled by specific food provision over the intervention periods in order to facilitate both conditions. Independent components of energy expenditure, markers of health, metabolism and performance will be measured to allow for comparison of conditions.

Unravelling Energy Issues Underpinning Low Energy Availability in High Performance Athletes

The goal of this clinical trial is to understand how the body responds to short-term, severe low energy availability (LEA) in healthy, weight-bearing endurance athletes aged 18-45 years old. LEA describes a mismatch between an individual's dietary energy intake and the energy cost of their commitments for training and competition. The main questions this trial aims to answer are: 1. What effect does short-term, severe LEA have on sleeping metabolic rate? 2. What effect does short-term, severe LEA have on other body systems identified within the Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) Health and Performance Conceptual models? Researchers will compare a control trial with both a LEA trial achieved through diet restriction and a LEA trial achieved through increased exercise to see if there are differences in the body's response. Participants will complete three 6-day trials, a minimum of 3-weeks apart, involving: * Prescribed diet (all food provided) * Prescribed running and/or cycling exercise * Two visits to ACU Fitzroy campus for blood tests and exercise testing * 50 hour stay (two nights and two days) in the ACU metabolic chamber

Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport and Dance

The International Olympic Committee recently published its consensus statement on relative energy deficiency syndrome (REDs) in sport which was followed by a similar version for dance by clinicians and researchers in dance. REDs is a complex multisystem syndrome with low energy availability as its foundation. Dancers and gymnasts, particularly in ballet, have long been reported to have body weight issues with an increase prevalence of eating disorders which has been associated with early onset osteoporosis. Combat sports have a similar issue, with athletes needing to "make weight" to compete in their ideal weight category that has lead to similar eating disorder and associated issues to dance. Currently there are no data on REDs prevalence in dance, gymnastics or combat sports and therefore understanding the underlying prevalence of REDs in both these populations will provide important information for both clinicians and coaches to help develop a safe and healthy environment for their dancers and athletes to compete/perform and to be able to retire from sport/dance without an increased risk of osteoporosis. In a few sports and dance genres, some participants might be more prone to a negative health effect referred to as relative energy deficiency syndrome (REDs). This is an energy deficiency relative to the balance between dietary energy intake and energy availability required to support homeostasis, health and activities of daily living, growth and sporting activities that can result in multiple systems being affected including decreases in bone health, energy metabolism, reproductive function, musculoskeletal health, immunity, glycogen synthesis and cardiovascular and haematological health. The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of REDs in specific sports (combat sports and gymnastics) and dance genres (ballet and musical theatre). Voluntary participants will be tested three times a year over a 5-year period. This will include an annual dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and blood tests plus resting energy expenditure and questionnaires three times a year.