Female athlete nutrition across the lifecycle: Misfed or misled

Katherine Black is an associate professor at the University of Otago within the Human Nutrition department, where she leads the sport and exercise nutrition papers and research. Her research interests are in the area of elite sporting performance, nutrition and health. She has worked with some leading athletes within New Zealand to investigate nutritional practices to optimise their performance. Recently, her research has focused on the health of female athletes, both high-performance and recreational, to assess the impact of inappropriate energy intakes on reproductive and bone health.
 
Penelope Matkin-Hussey recently studied for her PhD “The identification and recovery of clinically diagnosed Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs)” with the Department of Human Nutrition at the University of Otago (supervised by Katherine). Her research interests are female athlete health, in particular prevention and recovery from Relative Energy in Sport (REDs).

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Misfed or Misled explores the pervasive nutrition messages surrounding active women, many of which are amplified by high-profile influencers’ social media platforms. This presentation critically examines popular nutrition messages targeted at women, particularly around macronutrients, and the idea of syncing food intake strictly with menstrual or menopausal phases. Drawing on current evidence, we will address how these narratives may promote, oversimplify, or misrepresent the science, and the impact these messages could have on women’s health, performance, and their relationship with food. We will also provide practical, evidence-based guidance to support women’s fuelling needs across the lifespan, including during menopause.