Sigma Nutrition Radio

Kyle J. Mamounis, has a doctoral degree in nutritional science from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey USA. He is currently a researcher at University of Central Florida in Orlando. His primary research interest is investigating the effects of fatty acids on energy balance regulation. He maintains a science blog with posts on his research interests, reviews of science magazine articles and general cellular physiology at www.nutricrinology.com.

Rob Wildman, PhD, is the Chief Science Officer for DYMATIZE Enterprises and an adjunct research faculty member at Kansas State University, known for his expertise in sports and fitness nutrition. He discusses the shift towards a holistic 24-hour approach to workout nutrition, emphasizing that performance and recovery strategies should extend beyond the immediate post-workout window. Wildman highlights the importance of nighttime nutrition and protein timing, debunks misconceptions about protein intake, and underscores the role of resistance training in enhancing muscle health.

Brendan holds a position as Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Physiology in the School of Health and Human Performance at Dublin City University. His current research investigates the molecular regulation of skeletal muscle function and adaptation across the life course, with special interest in the synergy between nutrition and exercise interventions to optimise performance in athletes and elderly. He received his BSc Sport and Exercise Science from the University of Limerick in 2003, MSc Sport and Exercise Nutrition from Loughborough University in 2004, and PhD from Dublin City University in 2008, before completing two years of post-doctoral training with Prof. Juleen Zierath's Integrative Physiology group at the Karolinska Institute, Sweden. His doctoral studies focussed on skeletal muscle adaptation to exercise, and in particular the continuity between acute molecular responses to individual bouts of exercise and adaptations induced by exercise training, whereas his post-doctoral training utilised animal models and in vitro cell systems to investigate the transcriptional regulation of skeletal muscle development and mechanisms of insulin resistance. He joined the faculty in the School of Public Health, Physiotherapy, and Sport Science at University College Dublin in 2011, where he spent five years, and retains a position as Visiting Associate Professor. On the sporting front, he has played inter-county Gaelic football with Sligo since 2003, and consults as a performance nutritionist to elite team sport athletes.

Leinster Rugby performance nutritionist Daniel Davey discusses how to apply evidence-based nutrition practices with team sport athletes in elite-level sport. Daniel received his BSc in Science from University College Dublin and holds an MSc in Nutrition, Physical Activity & Public Health from the University of Bristol. Daniel is also a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (C.S.C.S) with the NSCA, and has completed the national qualification in Exercise and Health Studies. Daniel has worked as a performance nutritionist with a host of elite athletes in a range of sports such as golf, athletics, rugby and GAA. In conjunction with his role with Leinster Rugby, Daniel also works as a performance nutritionist with the Dublin senior footballers. His primary focus is developing individualised nutrition strategies for achieving specific performance related goals. He also believes that enhancing athletes' understanding of appropriate nutrition practices is vitally important for long-term optimum health outside of sport. In order to achieve this, he believes in providing this information in an understandable, practical and enjoyable manner. Daniel is a committed athlete himself and has played Gaelic football at intercounty level for Sligo and won an All-Ireland club football medal in 2016 with Ballyboden St' Enda's in Dublin. His own playing and training experience allows him to understand the practical implications of applying the science of sports nutrition to achieve peak physical condition and performance in sport.

Lyle McDonald Lyle is the author of the Ketogenic Diet, the Rapid Fat Loss Handbook and the Guide to Flexible Dieting. He has been interested in all aspects of human performance physiology since becoming involved in competitive sports as a teenager. Pursuing a degree in Physiological Sciences from UCLA, he has spent almost 20 years of his life studying human physiology and the science, art and practice of human performance, muscle gain, fat loss and body recomposition. Over the years, in addition to working with the general public, Lyle has worked primarily with endurance athletes, a few powerlifters, and some bodybuilders. Through his books, articles and his forum, he has helped thousands lose fat, gain muscle and get stronger or perform better. In This Episode We Discuss: Fundamentals of calorie partitioning What actually influences the partitioning of fuel substrates and the fate of the calories we consume Genetic differences in how much our body composition proportionally changes when either in a hyper- or hypo- caloric diet Is there anything we can really do to modify this? Insulin sensitivity in muscle and adipose tissue Blood glucose responses to meals: For healthy individuals, how much does it matter? Should you match carbohydrate intake to insulin sensitivity?

Dr. Shona Halson is the Senior Recovery Physiologist at the ‪Australian Institute of Sport and an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance. Her work involves providing athletes with advice and assistance to minimise fatigue and maximise recovery, she is responsible for conducting applied research to evaluate techniques to reduce fatigue and increase recovery. Shona has worked closely with the Australian Dolphins and their specific preparation for the Rio Olympics. Shona has a wealth of experience in the area of fatigue and recovery and she spent a number of years working as the Recovery Centre Director for the Australian Olympic Committee. In This Episode We Discuss: Periodization of recovery Cold water immersion and constrast water therapy for recovery Do recovery strategies have the potential to negatively impact adaptive responses to training? Athlete perception and "belief" in recovery modalities The importance of hydrostatic pressure: implications for hydrotherapy practice Effectively monitoring fatigue in athletes to assess training load and recovery

How to Build a Career in Nutrition Coaching For some reason enough people have seemingly deemed me to be "successful" enough to ask me for advice about starting a career in nutrition, usually via some version of one of the following questions: What nutrition course do you suggest I do? What qualifications do I need to work as a nutritionist? I'm a personal trainer/coach, what is the best way to improve my nutrition knowledge and/or my reputation as a nutrition coach? I currently work in a different field but want to transition to a career in nutrition. How should I go about this? Is it possible? I'd like to work in sports nutrition. How do I go about this? So the plan is to address these questions comprehensively in this guide. Which should hopefully help those of you who have similar questions. So let's get started!

Mike Israetel, PhD discusses the relative importance of carbohydrates for strength athletes, planning nutrition periodization for strength athletes and how to structure mesocycles for strength gain. Mike Israetel is currently a professor of Exercise Science at Temple University in Philadelphia, as well consulting nutritional and training for elite strength and combat athletes around the world. Mike is the head science consultant for Renaissance Periodization, where he has authored and co-authored a number for books. He has a PhD in Sport Physiology from East Tennessee State University, and on the sporting side has experience as a competitive powerlifter, grappler and bodybuilder. In This Episode We Discuss: Do strength athletes (powerlifters, weightlifters) need full glycogen stores? What roles do carbohydrates serve for such athletes? Nutrition considerations when making weight for a meet Nutritional periodization for the strength athlete: diet early and maintain lower bodyweight, or maintain higher weight before dieting close to the meet? Do the volume landmarks for planning training (MRV, MEV, MAV) still apply for the strength athlete? Are volume increases as important?

Katy joined the School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sport Sciences at UCD as a lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science in 2017. Katy holds a BSc and MSc in Sport and Exercise Science, both from the University of Limerick, and a PhD in Exercise and Nutrition Sciences from Queensland University of Technology, Australia. She subsequently completed postdoctoral studies in childhood obesity and physical activity at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, USA and more recently in the Nutrition, Biomarkers and Health Research Group at UCD as part of Food for Health Ireland. Her research draws on this interdisciplinary background, particularly in terms of trying to make connections across exercise physiology, metabolism and nutrition science. She has published articles on appetite control, gut and exercise physiology in a range of journals across the fields of sports medicine, exercise science, metabolism, obesity and nutrition. Her interest in applied sport and exercise science centres on nutritional advice and exercise prescription for both athletes to optimise performance and to a wide range of other individuals to optimise wellbeing and metabolic health. Katy is also a trained phlebotomist and registered nutritionist (with specialisms in nutrition science and sport/exercise), and currently works with the Ad Astra elite athlete support team at UCD. In This Episode We Discuss: What you should know about gut peptide hormones (GLP-1, ghrelin, peptide YY) Does the dysregulation of appetite hormones drive excess caloric intake and hence excess bodyfat accumulation, or is it excess bodyfat accumulation that drives hormonal dsyregulation? The effects of exercise interventions on these appetite-related gut peptides Active and inactive men differ in processes of food reward Habitual exercise could contribute to weight management by altering processes of food reward via the gut-brain axis What is gastic emptying and how do we measure it? Do people who exercise compensate for the increase in energy expenditure via compensatory increases in hunger and food intake? Implications of gastric emptying on exercise performance

Barbara Oakley is a Professor of Engineering at Oakland University. She is involved in multiple areas of research, ranging from STEM education, to Engineering education, to learning practices. Most recently, Professor Oakley has co-created and taught Learning How To Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects, the world's most popular online course. She also has written a number of books, including: 'A Mind For Numbers' and 'Mindshift'. In This Episode We Discuss: Focused mode vs. diffuse mode for thinking, problem solving and working Environments for productive learning: distractions, timelines and procrastination "Neural chunking" and creating patterns for developing skills Preventing regression of knowledge and skill acquisition Advice for improving scientific literacy/proficiency and confidence in reading/understanding science How to soak up (and retain) more information from podcasts