Physiology & Nutrition

Physiology and Nutrition Laboratories
Exercise Physiology within Sport and Exercise at Staffordshire University boasts an array of apparatus, which not only gives us a wide range and capacity for research and project work, but also is used extensively for undergraduate teaching. Our facilities enable us to enhance our students’ laboratory experience by providing them with the opportunity to gain a more intricate level of physiological understanding through a ‘hands on’, applied approach. We actively encourage our students to make full use of the laboratories and all of the equipment, which is designated specifically for learning and teaching. We also try to ensure that students gain sufficient technical and inter-personal skills, via for instance, testing ‘real’ athletes and individuals, so that they can pursue a career related to exercise physiology within a sport, health, or clinical context.

The laboratories are equipped with apparatus designed to measure a variety of different physiological parameters. For instance, maximal intensity exercise can be measured using Wingate testing software. Endurance capability may be measured using breath-by-breath gas analysis systems, and analysis of blood lactate. We also have a range of equipment to measure strength (via isometric and isokinetic dynamometry), flexibility, electromyography or EMG (electrical activity from skeletal muscle), ECG (electrical activity from the heart), lung function, bone densitometry (UBIS 5000), and timing gates for analysis of explosive exercise. Performance can be monitored using different exercise modes, including cycle and rowing ergometers, treadmills, a Kingcycle, a high-performance cycle ergometer (SRM), and arm cranks. We also have equipment primarily devoted to the physiological measurement of wheelchair athletes, which incorporates an electronic chair scale, a gas analysis system, a hand crank and a wheelchair ergometer.
Each laboratory has convenient access to a blood analysis room, allowing us to obtain samples of blood for biochemical analysis, including the measurement of blood lactate, glucose, cholesterol, creatine kinase, haematocrit and haemoglobin. A spectrophotometer and a refrigerated centrifuge allows us to process samples and measure a variety of interesting biochemical and molecular changes occurring during and in the recovery from exercise.

Nutrition within Sport and Exercise at Staffordshire University boasts a specifically-designed laboratory that houses a teaching laboratory, a food preparation area that allows us to prepare and consume food items for laboratory practical sessions, and a blood analysis room. Students use these facilities to analyse food intake, food composition, energy expenditure, body composition, and to assess the effects of ingestion of food items/supplements on metabolism of nutrients at rest, during exercise and on exercise performance. Measurement of body composition can be via air displacement plethysmography (BOD POD), Harpenden skinfold callipers and bio-impedance analysis. The breath-by-breath gas analysis system is used to examine energy expenditure and the amount of carbohydrate and fat that is utilised during rest and exercise conditions. Computers with dietary analysis software are accessible at all times. The food preparation area contains food storage facilities, an array of cooking utensils and measuring scales for the preparation of food items. The blood analysis room houses a variety of equipment such as the Reflotron II which is primarily used to analyse glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride against reference ranges, a portable lactate analyser, haemoglobin and haematocrit analysers, spectrophotometer and a refrigerated centrifuge.