Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Research Scholarships - Master's program

Public health messages often promote exercising more and eating less to improve health. However, when active females do not eat enough food to support both daily life and physical activity, they can develop Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs). REDs affects one-third of active females, and half of female endurance athletes. It can cause menstrual cycles to become irregular or stop entirely, signalling that the body does not have enough energy to maintain bodily functions for optimal health. While the reproductive effects of REDs are well known, much less is understood about how REDs may affect brain health. Early research has observed that females with irregular or absent menstrual cycles experience changes in cognitive functions such as memory and decision-making, however the reasons why these changes occur is not understood. Previous studies have also seen decreases in function of arteries that supply blood to the body, but no studies have explored if brain arteries are also impacted. It may be that changes to brain artery and cognitive function are related to one another. Understanding this relationship is important because changes in brain artery function are increasingly understood to have influences on long-term cognitive health. To address this gap, we will recruit active females and track their menstrual cycles for three months. Participants will then complete a lab visit that uses ultrasound imaging and standardized tests to assess brain artery function, a cognitive task, and a blood draw to measure hormone levels. This study uses rigorous, female-specific methods and incorporates the lead researcher’s lived experience with REDs to address timely, important, and under-explored risks of REDs for brain artery health and cognitive function.