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Welcome to Research Bites, we are delighted to welcome you to the portal, you will see all the links below for the research papers! Read them, digest them, think about them and most importantly, make the information work for you. Research Bites was set up so that you could easily grasp exactly what the science says, put it into context and then put it to work, there are two key phrases here to bear in mind as you eat through this research in order to maximize the performance enhancement capability of this program:
“Education and understanding is power. Progress is where theory meets practicality.”
Articles
Reading Research Series
I. Types of Studies
II. How to Read A Study
III. Intro to Stats
IV. Things to watch out for
Example Study - How bad is sugar?
Example Study -Unprocessed diets causing obesity?
I. Types of Studies
What will I learn?
What are the different types of research studies? We highlight the main types, while outlining the strengths and weaknesses of each one.
II. How to Read A Study
What will I learn?
- A basic overview of the different sections in all research studies.
- What the different sections need to include, how they need to be presented and how to approach them.
- The sections (methods, results) that are the most important aspects of the paper.
III. Intro to Stats
What will I learn?
- The basics about statistics
- Why statistics matter
- How to interpret some statistical results
IV. Things to watch out for
What will I learn?
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- Some shortcuts that can appear in published research studies
- Aspects that should be considered before adopting a study’s findings
- Strengths of published studies
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Example Study - How bad is sugar?
What will I learn?
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- A little about the negative effects of consuming a lot of sugar sweetened beverages
- A lot about looking at context and confounders in relation to diet, and the fact that nutrition isn’t black & white
- How to interpret a nutritional research paper correctly
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Example Study -Unprocessed diets causing obesity?
What will I learn?
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- The mechanism by which diets high in ultra-processed foods can contribute to excess energy intake, weight gain and the obesity epidemic
- Why single foods are not inherently fattening, but diets can be
- The metabolic impact that ultra-processed diets have on blood profiles and cardio-metabolic risk markers
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November 2020
Vitamin D & muscle strength
Carbohydrates + protein for recovery?
Thyoid hormones & weight loss
Pea vs. Whey Protein
Do you need that iron supplement?
Protein before or after my workout?
Lessons learned from pro cyclists
How does blood glucose impact fatigue?
Vitamin D & muscle strength
What will I learn?
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- A bit about vitamin D function in the body
- A lot about supplement protocols and about vitamin D metabolism
- A hell of a lot about how to critique a paper
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Carbohydrates + protein for recovery?
What will I learn?
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- The mechanism by which protein and amino acids can stimulate insulin secretion, which promotes the uptake of glucose in muscle tissue
- The current evidence in support but also in contention with the notion that protein combined with carbohydrates can increase the rate of glycogen resynthesis and improve recovery
- The optimal amount of carbohydrate and protein that when combined can have favourable impacts on recovery
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Thyoid hormones & weight loss
What will I learn?
- How the thyroid gland and hormones relate to weight
- Some of they blood work data for thyroid testing and how to interpret it
- How to NOT ignore the fact that humans have consciousness and will power, and that hormone profiles don’t equate to there being no point in trying.
Pea vs. Whey Protein
What will I learn?
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- What about whey makes it the best-quality protein to supplement
- What is required in an effective plant-based supplement?
- How pea protein supplementation stacks up against whey, and how can we measure this
Do you need that iron supplement?
What will I learn?
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- How iron deficiency and anaemia can come about, some of the factors involved and how iron & oxygen transport isn’t all there is to itÂ
- Some of the issues with simply deciding to supplement with iron and how iron levels are controlled in your body
- When an iron supplement is actually warranted and how to go about it
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Protein before or after my workout?
What will I learn?
 In any article that has combined the brilliant tandem of Aragon and Schoenfeld, you are going to be presented with a myriad of insights to the complex underworld of performance nutrition. Specifically, in this study summary, you will learn:
- What the current body of evidence says about the ‘anabolic window’
- If pre- or post-exercise protein ingestion provide different advantages for muscle adaptation (gainz)
Lessons learned from pro cyclists
What will I learn?
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- What statistically significant actually means and an effect is
- How to fuel for multi-day events
- That pros don’t always get it right
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How does blood glucose impact fatigue?
What will I learn?
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- The pioneering finding that first uncovered the relationship between low carbohydrate availability and exercise fatigue
- How blood glucose (blood sugar) relates to carbohydrate availability
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December 2020
Striving for Leanness
Collagen for Joint Pain?
Creatine 101
Athletes with Cystic Fibrosis
Weight Loss in Female Athletes
Pregnant Athletes
To Beet or not to Beet?
Lifestyle Interventions for Diabetes?
Striving for Leanness
What will I learn?
- How our cultural beliefs & expectations around taking part in sport actually provide a toxic cauldron for eating disorders in vulnerable athletes.
- That there is much more to performance and being an athlete than weight alone, and how you look.
- You will get an insight into the devastating potential side effects of over restriction.
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Collagen for Joint Pain?
What will I learn?
- A little about what collagen is and the two main types of supplements
- How collagen can potentially help alleviate joint pain
- The findings from an interesting study about hydrolysed collagen and joint pain
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Creatine 101
What will I learn?
- What is creatine and how much do we know about it
- Does it help improve body composition?
- Does it enhance performance?
- How does it work for different energy systems?
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Athletes with Cystic Fibrosis
What will I learn?
- You will get an insight into the one of the most common genetic conditions in the world – Cystic Fibrosis (CF), of which Ireland has the highest prevalence.
- You will learn how the genetic polymorphisms (mutations) can result in CF patients having sweat electrolyte losses 3 times higher times higher than normal individuals.
- You will learn why the above point is an issue, especially for performance, and how it can be managed.
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Weight Loss in Female Athletes
What will I learn?
- Why we cannot look at single studies in a vacuum
- The important markers we need to observe when normal-weight female athletes adopt highly restrictive diets for weight loss (e.g. hormonal levels, mood, lean mass, maximal strength)
- Potential protocols for dieting that will minimise the adverse symptoms that are commonly associated (muscle wasting, irritability, menstrual dysfunction)
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Pregnant Athletes
What will I learn?
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- Some of the changes that occur in a women’s body during pregnancy
- How we might account for these changes with practical nutrition advice
- Some of the damaging effects of poor nutrition on both mother and baby
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To Beet or not to Beet?
What will I learn?
- Why nitrates (found in beetroot and other green leafy vegetables) are believed to be effective for improving performance
- In what way, nitrate in these foods, is converted to produce nitric oxide, which is responsible for improved blood flow and oxygen delivery.
- Practical applications for you and your athletes for nitrate supplementation
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Lifestyle Interventions for Diabetes?
What will I learn?
You will learn about one of the most important pieces of lifestyle medicine ever created and one that guided much of the narratives that we see around the management of type two diabetes and improvements in glycemic control. You will also get an insight into some of the tasty mechanisms that go into risk reduction, get an appreciation for how diabetes works and a feel for the scope of lifestyle interventions in numbers for risk reduction.
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January 2021
Are Habits the Way?
Ramadan & Exercise
Low-Carb Diets & Endurance
Kidney Stones & Diet
A Vegan Diet for GAA Athletes
Low Calories & Diabetes Reversal
Fish Oil for Athletes?
Dietary Management of PCOS
Are Habits the Way?
What will I learn?
- Different approaches of habit-based interventions for weight loss
- The mechanisms by which habit-based interventions can help individuals achieve weight loss
- Strengths and weaknesses of habitbased weight loss approaches
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Ramadan & Exercise
What will I learn?
- This article will dive through the in’s and outs of Ramadan, a practice undertaken by millions of people every year, and how it effects nutritional intakes
- Some food for thought and practice tips for any athlete undertaking Ramadan
- This article dissects and concentrates the data on what we know about how Ramadan effects exercise performance
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Low-Carb Diets & Endurance
What will I learn?
- The mechanisms (don’t worry, I keep them simple AF) of how low-carbohydrate (carb)/high-fat diets alongside training can stimulate aerobic adaptations in the body.
- The important performance markers that need to be considered when deciding whether or not a low-carb/high-fat diet is beneficial for endurance training
- If a short-term, low-carb/high-fat diet was beneficial for improving endurance performance in trained cyclists
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Kidney Stones & Diet
What will I learn?
- How kidney stones are formed
- Dietary patterns associated with kidney stones
- How you can minimize your risk of developing kidney stones
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A Vegan Diet for GAA Athletes
What will I learn?
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- The important understandings and agreements that must be made by and athlete, nutritionist and coach before considering a vegan diet (VD)
- The pertinent nutritional considerations of switching from an omnivorous to a vegan diet in an elite athlete
- How to address and combat these considerations in a way that is evidence-based
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Low Calories & Diabetes Reversal
What will I learn?
- What is diabetes?
- How is it characterised?
- The twin cycle hypothesis
- How weight loss may improve type two diabetes.
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Fish Oil for Athletes?
What will I learn?
- What omega-3 fatty acids are and the roles they play in important biological processes
- The potential applications and possible benefits of fish oil supplementation in exercise and performance
- Optimal dosing strategies for potential benefits of fish oil supplementation
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Dietary Management of PCOS
What will I learn?
- How to manage PCOS with dietary interventions
- How to manage associated risk factors with PCOS
- Risk factors for PCOS
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February 2021
Nutrition for Altitude Training
Nutrition Strategies to Improve Sleep
Nutrition for Hot-Climate Training
Sleepless Nights Slowing Fat Loss?
Dietary Cholesterol and Blood Lipids
CBD Use in Sport & Athletes
Coffee Intake & Health
Do We Eat More When Distracted?
Nutrition for Altitude Training
What will I learn?
- How altitude training affects your body &
what exactly changes - The nutritional changes that need to be made during altitude trainingÂ
- Typical models of altitude training
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Nutrition Strategies to Improve Sleep
What will I learn?
- A brief biology of how we sleep What piece of the puzzle is this?
- Potential mechanisms by which nutrition can be linked with sleep
- Practical ways to avail of such mechanisms
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Nutrition for Hot-Climate Training
What will I learn?
- The mechanisms (don’t worry, I keep them simple AF) of how low-carbohydrate (carb)/high-fat diets alongside training can stimulate aerobic adaptations in the body.
- The important performance markers that need to be considered when deciding whether or not a low-carb/high-fat diet is beneficial for endurance training
- If a short-term, low-carb/high-fat diet was beneficial for improving endurance performance in trained cyclists
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Sleepless Nights Slowing Fat Loss?
What will I learn?
- How sleep is related to body weight, and eating behaviour
- How sleep impacts weight loss attempts
- How sleep impacts the changes in body composition e.g. muscle and fat mass
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Dietary Cholesterol and Blood Lipids
What will I learn?
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- How cholesterol effects your cardiovascular health
- The main dietary determinants of cholesterol levels
- Some simple dietary swaps for better cholesterol & heart health
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CBD Use in Sport & Athletes
What will I learn?
- The proposed mechanisms underlying potential benefits of CBD
- An introductory overview of the evidence to date assessing CBD use in athletes
- Applications of CBD supplementation in athletes e.g. muscle soreness, pain relief
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Coffee Intake & Health
What will I learn?
- You will learn about the various chemical aspects of coffee, and how the bean and roast type alters its properties
- You will see the various effects coffee has on health
- You will see how much coffee constitutes the health benefits sweet spot
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Do We Eat More When Distracted?
What will I learn?
- Definition of ‘Eating Attentively’ and how to practice it
- The mechanisms behind the adverse effects of distracted eating
- The possible benefits gained by practicing attentive eating
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March 2021
What is Mindful Eating?
Nutrition Strategies for Travelling
Pre- and Probiotics
Diet & Alzheimer's
What is Mindful Eating?
What will I learn?
- The definition of ‘mindful eating’ and how it is derived from mindfulness
- Some of the evidence in support of mindful eating practices
- Strategies to eat mindfully that you can start practicing now!
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Nutrition Strategies for Travelling
What will I learn?
- You will get an intro into how your body clock works and some of the things that can effect it
- You will learn how to decrease the effect of jet lag on your body
- You will learn how to avoid any ill effects of travel on your body
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Pre- and Probiotics
What will I learn?
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What is the difference between pre- and probiotics
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Are supplements the only form
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How to source them naturally
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Are there evidence-based benefits from taking them?
Diet & Alzheimer's
What will I learn?
- What Alzheimer’s disease (AD) actually is
- What biomarkers are used to asses Alzheimer’s disease and what can effect them
- The dietary practices associated with an increased or decreased likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease
April 2021
All About Ashwaganda
Tracking Calories 101
Milk for Hydration?
Best diet for weight loss
All About Ashwaganda
What will I learn?
- What is Ashwaganda?Â
- What are adaptogens?Â
- What are the claimed benefits for Ashwaganda?Â
- How does it hold up in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study?
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Tracking Calories 101
What will I learn?
- The degree to which calorie tracking may not actually reflect what you are consuming very well
- The reasons as to why calorie tracking can be so inaccurate
- What you can do to help you to track more accurately on your mobile app
Milk for Hydration?
What will I learn?Â
- What are some barriers to rehydration?
- What properties in milk make it a viable alternative to water and sports drinks?
- What are some of the indicators of adequate rehydration?
- How does milk stack up to water and commercial sports drinks for rehydration dehydrated athletes?
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Best diet for weight loss
What will I learn?
- What actually drives weight loss forwards
- Do macros play a key role in weight loss?
- Why do we fall for the same tricks every time?
May 2021
Time-Restricted Feeding (18- vs. 20-hrs)
How to achieve long term weight loss
9 Reasons You Can't Lose Weight
Relative energy deficiency syndrome in male athletes
Time-Restricted Feeding (18- vs. 20-hrs)
What will I learn?
The difference between TRF and intermittent fasting (IF)Â
Potential differences between longer fasting windows (20 vs. 18 hrs)Â
Insights into the potential mechanisms of TRFÂ
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How to achieve long term weight loss
What will I learn?
How we define overweight & obesity
Obesity facts & statistics
Key behaviour elements of those who achieve long term successful weight
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9 Reasons You Can't Lose Weight
What will I learn?
- The fundamental premise of the energy balance equation
- What secondary factors impact this equation
- 10 different things that could be slowing your progress
- How to apply practices to avoid some of these preventative factors.
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Relative energy deficiency syndrome in male athletes
What will I learn?
- What is RED-S & LEA?
- What are the effects on athlete’s health?
- What factors drive it forward?
- How can I manage it?
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June 2021
Nutrition Misinformation - How to Spot it
Five Reasons Frozen Produce is A-OK!
Appetite Regulation - Why am I always hungry?
Salt & blood pressure
Nutrition Misinformation - How to Spot it
Five Reasons Frozen Produce is A-OK!
Appetite Regulation - Why am I always hungry?
Salt & blood pressure
July 2021
How to Coach Online
Training to Grow Muscle
How to Coach Online
Training to Grow Muscle
What will I learn?
- Learn the mechanisms behind muscle growthÂ
- Learn how to apply training principles to support muscle growth
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