Sport science researcher: Hormones can cost women a gold medal
Associate Professor Mette Hansen from Aarhus University studies issues which are specific to women in sport and which can be related to hormones, training and diet. Issues which could be crucial for women's chances of winning medals, and Team Denmark is now providing a network grant of DKK 1.5 million to support the research.
The number of women in elite sport has been increasing for decades, but sport science research is lagging behind when it comes to clarifying whether specific issues affect the performance of female athletes. This is a situation that Mette Hansen and her research colleagues will change, so that female athletes’ chances of winning medals are increased – without sacrificing their health.
Among the areas that Mette Hansen and her colleagues study, are whether female athletes' use of contraceptive pills has negative consequences on the ability of their muscles to recover and thus on their ability to perform. The hypothesis is that contraceptive pills increase the degree of muscle damage and prolong the reduction in performance following strenuous training. The researchers also examine what eating a low-calorie diet concurrently with training means for female athletes' performance and response to training.
The grant from Team Denmark supports several of Mette Hansen's research projects – and all of the projects share the aim of delivering research results that can contribute to better advice and guidance for elite sportswomen.
Contact
Associate Professor & PhD Mette Hansen
Aarhus University, Department of Public Health
Mobile: (+45) 51 66 65 51
Email: mhan@ph.au.dk