Dylan Holly, M.Ed.Skeletal muscle is a complex tissue and while its primary job is to assist in movement, this is not its sole purpose. Muscle is also a major storehouse for energy in the form of amino acids and metabolic machinery responsible for much of our daily energy expenditure. The energy cost of muscle comes with a price. When subjected to an unloaded state such as bed-rest, immobilization, or microgravity, the muscle atrophies. In other words, the cross-sectional area diminishes and wit...

Danielle Sanders, Huffines Institute Administrative AssistantHave you ever wondered how food affects you mood? If you have ever felt irritable or grumpy when you haven’t eaten, then you know what it feels like to be “hangry”. The term is a play on the words “hungry and “angry” and refers to the tendency of a person to be short tempered or frustrated when they are due for a meal. But, where does it come from, and why does it appear that only some people experie...

Carlos Guevara, Huffines ProducerWith the NFL scouting combine going on in Indianapolis, the biggest job interview for the NFL hopefuls there are the many drills that make or break players. At the combine, there are drills that the athletes take place in and these drills transfer into their professional career. Some of which are the 40-yard dash, the vertical, and the broad jump. So, what is it about these drills that make such a huge impact on the professional game? Well it is the fact that foo...

Andrew Jagim Ph.D, CSCSRunners, cyclists, and other endurance athletes are constantly looking for ways to improve their performance.  A commonly used strategy is the use of nutritional supplements to “boost” energy and enable them to perform longer and or harder before fatigue sets in.  The majority of energy used during endurance events is derived from carbohydrates.  Carbohydrates can be stored in the liver and skeletal muscle as glycogen.  When exercise lasts l...

 Kaleigh Camp, M.S.The American College of Sports Medicine refers to the female athlete triad as the interrelationships among energy availability, menstrual function, and bone mineral density. The new Triad model has each component of the female athlete triad on a continuous spectrum. These spectrums range from a healthy state to clinical outcomes of disease, which including eating disorders, amenorrhea (absence of a menstrual period for 3 or more months), and osteoporosis. T...

Emily Schmitt, Ph.D.Should I “Enhance” Athletic Performance with Dietary Products?This is one of the questions that constantly arise in the sports medicine and performance world. And to be honest, it is a difficult question to address. Researchers have studied diet manipulation for years in relation to delaying the onset of fatigue, and these studies have resulted in mixed conclusions. Scientific publications conclude that carbohydrate (products such as energy gels or ...

Faith A. Lightfoot, BSEWith the introduction of Redbull to the United States in 1997, many athletes started consuming these drinks for additional energy and a reduction of fatigue. However, as word spread about the effects, the general public joined this drink craze. With “31% of energy drink consumers between 12-17 years old, and 34% ranging from 18-24 years” (1), there now seems to be concern regarding the safety of these drinks by athletes and non-athletes alike. What’s...