Tag Archive for ‘athlete’

May 25, 2025

The electrophysiology of sudden cardiac death in high-performance athletes

Humans and racehorses have something in common when it comes to risk of sudden cardiac death. In fact, sudden cardiac death is the 2nd most common cause of death during exercise among these athletes. Although rare, it typically affects young, seemingly healthy individuals. Research suggests that exercise itself is not to blame, but rather an underlying predisposition for irregular heart rates that exercise uncovers. The most common inherited causes of […]

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February 17, 2025

Surviving the heat: How humans and animals adapt to hot environments

Heat is a major physiological stressor that can damage proteins in the body, promote dehydration and even lead to death. Organisms living in hot environments must develop both behavioral and physiological mechanisms to prevent heat-related damage or illness. A recent review published in Physiology examined how humans and experimental animals adapt to heat (Laitano et al., 2025). Organisms that tolerate heat effectively can maintain normal physiological functions even when […]

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January 28, 2021

How exercise training and diet may impact exercise performance

Both diet and exercise training are associated with muscle performance and endurance. Migratory birds undergo intense endurance exercise. In fact, a recent review indicated that flapping flight costs more energy (9 x increase from basal metabolic rate) than required by elite athletes competing in the Tour de France (4.3 x increase from basal metabolic rate) (Butler, 2016). Unlike running animals, migratory birds fuel endurance exercise with fats as opposed to […]

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