Are you a man between 30-50 years old? Interested to know how your body’s glucose responds to your daily eating routine? If yes, we need you for 2 weeks.
What are you required to do?
- A single lab visit to complete questionnaires, body composition assessment and a VO2max treadmill test. During this visit you will be fitted with the continuous glucose monitor.
- One visit to PathCare for a glucose tolerance test and fasting blood test.
- Keep a food and exercise diary for 2 week.
Congratulations to Kyle Basson, former lab assistant for being select as team manager for University Sport South Africa (USSA) road cycling team, competing at the FISU World University Championships (WUC) taking place in Braga, Portugal, from 31 July to 4 August.
At the start of the July (4-7 July) four of our members conducting research through the lab traveled to Dublin, Ireland to present on their work at the 23rd annual European College of Sport Science congress.
Dr Carla Coetsee: An acute bout of High-intensity interval exercise makes young men smarter.
This study showed that healthy young men had higher execute cognitive function (cognitive skills such as paying attention, working memory, processing speed, initiating tasks and staying focused) after a single bout of HIIE.
Dr Lara Grobler: Comparison of cognitive performance after an acute bout of moderate intensity backward and forward exercise.
Conducting a novel task such as backward running requires greater inputs for the prefrontal cortex and skeletal muscles. Backwards running form 20 minutes at 65% of HRR showed small improvements in reaction time of cognitive task. Higher intensity exercise may be needed to see more robust improvements in cognitive task.
Ms Sharné Nieuwoudt: Age-related trends in abdominal obesity, cardiorespiratory fitness and cognitive function in low income South African women.
Adverse health is generally associated with older age, however, in low income SA women, risk factors for non-communicable diseases are occurring earlier than anticipated. With baseline measures of cardiovascular and cognitive health already poor in these women from early adulthood and further negative changes, specifically in abdominal obesity, with ageing, there is an urgent need for community interventions targeting young women to reduce the risk of future cardiovascular disease and dementia.
Ms Louise Engelbrecht: Maximum fat oxidation is lower in young compared to middle-aged adult women from a low income community in South Africa.
Both young and middle-age women from a low income SA community had low MFO which are associated with increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome. However, young women are also less physical active, with lower lean body mass and lower VO2max (categorized as unfit) which places them at an increased risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic disease. The finding highlights the need to implement community intervention programs targeted at young women to lower their risk for chronic non-communicable diseases.
“I believe that when people experience an event as a community it can transcend and change people’s lives” – Andy Serkis
Mission:
The Minutes for Moola Fundraiser is aiming to use the High Performance Sprint Triathlon as a platform to raise R21,000 which would be enough money to send 45 members of the SUNWELL Community Health Programme, run by the Department of Sport Science, on a Back 2 Basics camp. These members are from previously disadvantaged backgrounds and SUNWELL wants to give them an experience they have probably not had as young adults, as well as an opportunity to learn valuable life skills.
Format:
Anyone who wishes to donate to the Minutes for Moola Fundraiser can do so by sponsoring one of the many Sport Science students or staff members that will be competing in the High Performance Sprint Triathlon on 30 September 2017. The concept is that individuals or companies sponsor their chosen athlete with a certain amount of money for every minute the person spends completing the triathlon. The sponsors may choose any amount they wish – 50 cents, R1, R5, R10 … the sky is the limit! Those willing to donate towards this exciting camp can do so by clicking here.
High Performance Sprint Triathlon Contact Person(s):
Mr Simon de Waal
Junior Lecturer, Sport Science Department of Stellenbosch & race organiser
021 808 4715 / 083 260 2324 / simondw@sun.ac.za
SUNWELL Information:
Mission:
To encourage, educate and ‘champion’ adults and children from low socio-economic communities in and around Stellenbosch to the ways and benefits of leading a healthy, active and safe lifestyle.
Details:
SUNWELL is a Social Impact Project with the Department of Sport Science (Stellenbosch University) and has been in operation since 2015. SUNWELL provides students with an excellent opportunity to learn and practice their skills while they serve the community. In turn, the community is afforded free participation in exercise and health care initiatives on a weekly basis. To find out more about SUNWELL you can visit the SU Sport Physiology Lab.
SUNWELL Contact Person(s):
Prof Elmarie Terblanche
SUNWELL founder
021 808 2742 / et2@sun.ac.za
Ms Kasha Dickie
WELL Project co-ordinator
021 808 4718 / kdickie@sun.ac.za
