Laura Kunces

Kunces, LJ, Keenan, J, Schmidt, CM, and Schmidt, MA. Molecular deficits relevant to concussion are prevalent in top-ranked football players entering the National Football League draft. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2021-Characterization of blood variants in athletes entering the highly competitive contact environment of professional football...

Background Factors influencing individual susceptibility to brain acceleration forces or to poor outcomes in brain injury are not well understood. Characterization of blood variants in athletes entering the highly competitive contact environment of professional football, when coupled with longitudinal follow-up of future concussion incidence and tr...

We investigated the impact of nutrient intake on hydration biomarkers in cyclists before and after a 161 km ride, including one hour after a 650 mL water bolus consumed post-ride. To control for multicollinearity, we chose a clustering-based, machine learning statistical approach. Five hydration biomarkers (urine color, urine specific gravity, plas...

Objectives: To observe the effects of endurance cycling in the heat on renal function. Secondarily, we investigated the effect of ibuprofen ingestion on kidney stress. Design: Randomized, placebo controlled and observational methods were utilized. Methods: Forty cyclists (52±9y, 21.7±6.5% body fat) volunteered and completed an endurance cyclin...

We examined the effects of one dose of a multivitamin with Relora (R), a proprietary blend of Magnolia officinalis and Phellodendron amurense bark extracts, designedfor nighttime (IIIVE; containing 200mg Relora), multi-vitamin (Ml. Omg of Relora), or a placebo (P) on subjective sleep quality and sleep quantity the night before an endurance cycling...

Caffeine can reduce muscle pain during exercise; however the efficacy of caffeine in improving muscle soreness and recovery from a demanding long-duration exercise bout has not been established. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of caffeine intake on ratings of perceived muscle soreness (RPMS) and perceived lower extremity fu...

Background: Many successful ultra-endurance athletes have switched from a high-carbohydrate to a low-carbohydrate diet, but they have not previously been studied to determine the extent of metabolic adaptations. Methods: Twenty elite ultra-marathoners and ironman distance triathletes performed a maximal graded exercise test and a 180 min submaxi...

Dietary approaches for optimizing exercise performance have been debated in the literature for years. For endurance athletes, various position stands focus on recommendations for high-carbohydrate diets to maximize performance in events. However, theories of low-carbohydrate diets and their ability to provide more fuel may prove beneficial to ultra...

Laboratory-based studies indicate mild dehydration adversely affects mood. Although ultra-endurance events often result in mild to moderate dehydration, little research has evaluated whether the relationship between hydration status and mood state also exists in these arduous events. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate how hydratio...

We assessed the impact of completing the Hotter'n Hell Hundred (HHH), an annual 164 km road cycling event performed in a hot environment, on hemostatic balance in men. Sixteen men who completed the ride in <6 h were included in this study. Plasma samples were collected on that morning of the ride (PRE) and immediately on the completion of the ride...

Recent meta-analyses have found no association between heart disease and dietary saturated fat; however, higher proportions of plasma saturated fatty acids (SFA) predict greater risk for developing type-2 diabetes and heart disease. These observations suggest a disconnect between dietary saturated fat and plasma SFA, but few controlled feeding stud...

Context: The sensation of thirst is different from the complex behavior of drinking ad libitum. Rehydration recommendations to athletes differ, depending on the source, yet no previous researchers have systematically compared drinking to thirst (D(TT)) versus ad libitum drinking behavior (D(AL)). Objective: To compare 2 groups of trained cyclist...

Abstract Because body mass change (ΔMb) does not represent all water losses and gains, the present field investigation determined if (a) ΔMb equalled the net effective body water change during ultra-endurance exercise and (b) ground speed and exercise duration influenced these variables. Thirty-two male cyclists (age range, 35-52 years) completed a...

Despite evidence that low-carbohydrate diets (LCD) can improve metabolic syndrome (MetS) characteristics and risk for cardiovascular disease, concerns remain regarding the potential deleterious effects of higher fat intake. If higher fat intake (in the context of lower carbohydrate intake) is accompanied by higher fat oxidation, there would likely...

Ultra-endurance athletes often are challenged with oxidative stress from free radicals generated in various metabolic pathways during high volume exercise training and competition. The measurable response to this oxidative stress reported in previous literature varies. Questions about the degree of oxidative stress imposed by ultra-endurance events...

Carbohydrate feeding and impact on global metabolomics in relation to insulin sensitivity in men with metabolic syndrome

The aim of this study was to examine coagulatory and fibrinolytic responses to the Western States Endurance Run (WSER, June 23 to 24, 2012). The WSER is a 161-km (100 mile) trail foot race through the Sierra Nevada Mountains that involves 6,030 m of climb and 7,001 m of descent. We examined 12 men and 4 women [mean (95 % CI), age 44.6 years (38.7-5...

Objective: Foods incorporating plant sterols (PS) consistently decrease serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), although results vary depending on the PS form and food matrix. The objective was to study the effect of a novel triglyceride-recrystallized phystosterol (TRP) incorporated into fat-free milk on markers of cardiovascular risk...

Unlabelled: Compared to soy, whey protein is higher in leucine, absorbed quicker and results in a more pronounced increase in muscle protein synthesis. Objective: To determine whether supplementation with whey promotes greater increases in muscle mass compared to soy or carbohydrate, we randomized non-resistance-trained men and women into groups...

Phytosterols (PS) have become a recent popular medication alternative for treatment of hypercholesterolemia and have proven effective. Whether PS decrease risk of cardiovascular disease through other mechanisms, such as lipoprotein particle size and inflammatory markers, remains unclear. PURPOSE: The primary aim of this study was to examine the eff...