Women's Physiology and Nutrition Symposium 2025 talk synopses

Nutrition and Physiological Considerations in Females: Lessons from Research in Ground Close Combat

Professor Julie Greeves OBE

Professor Julie Greeves OBE, Principal Physiologist at Army HQ and Research Director for the Women in Ground Close Combat research programme, will deliver a keynote aimed at bridging the gap between military research and female athlete performance. With nearly two decades of experience researching female health and physical performance within the Ministry of Defence, Professor Greeves will share critical lessons learned from military training that can inform best practices in both academia and applied sports science.

This talk will explore:

  • the unique physiological demands placed on female soldiers in extreme environments
  • nutritional strategies to support endurance, strength, and recovery in female populations
  • lessons from the military that can enhance female athlete training, injury prevention, and long-term health
  • the importance of sex-specific research in shaping performance and health strategies

Does the Menstrual Cycle Actually Affect Endurance Performance? Lessons from the FENDURA Project

Madison Taylor PhDc

Madison Taylor is a PhD candidate working on the Female Endurance Athlete (FENDURA) Project. Her current research focuses on the influence of the menstrual cycle on the determinants of endurance performance, response to training and recovery. Madison is passionate about improving the understanding of female-specific topics in sport and health research and aims to contribute to the field with high quality research methods and innovative thinking.

The menstrual cycle is often cited as a key factor influencing female athletic performance, but how much of this is supported by robust scientific evidence?

Madison Taylor, a leading researcher in female endurance physiology, will present findings from the FENDURA Project, a cutting-edge research initiative investigating the impact of menstrual cycle phase on endurance performance, sleep, recovery, and symptom severity in female athletes.

Drawing from multiple high-impact studies, this talk will explore:

  • whether menstrual cycle phase meaningfully affects endurance performance variables
  • the role of hormonal fluctuations in recovery and training adaptation
  • practical implications for coaches, physiologists, and nutritionists in supporting female athletes
  • the challenges of menstrual cycle research and how to interpret findings in applied settings

This session is essential for practitioners and researchers looking to move beyond assumptions and apply the latest evidence to optimize female athlete performance.

Supporting the Female Athlete: Nutrition, Health Literacy, and Lessons from Elite Sport

Dr Samantha Moss

Dr Sam Moss, a Sport and Exercise scientist specialising in female athlete physiology and nutrition, brings an applied perspective on how education, awareness, and tailored nutrition approaches can enhance performance, recovery, and overall athlete well-being.

Optimising support for female athletes requires a deep understanding of their unique needs in areas of nutrition, menstruation, contraception, breast health and pelvic health. However, female health literacy remains an underdeveloped area in elite sport, often contributing to poor performance outcomes.

Drawing on her work with professional female football teams, this talk will explore:

  • how we can improve health literacy for female athletes, and the key stakeholders supporting them
  • common nutritional challenges, including under-fuelling and how to mitigate them
  • how we can work together to bridge the gap between research and real-world practice

By combining scientific insights with applied experience, Dr Moss will provide actionable recommendations for practitioners, equipping them with the tools to better support female athletes through individualised and evidence-based strategies.

Parallel sessions

1. Does RED-S Exist? Exploring the Reality of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport

This session delves into the concept of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), exploring whether it is a legitimate medical condition or just a theoretical concept. We will discuss the physiological and psychological impacts of energy deficiency on athletes, looking at the evidence supporting RED-S and the controversies surrounding it. Key topics will include energy availability, metabolic disruptions, and the consequences on performance, health, and long-term well-being. We will critically examine the existing literature, the diagnostic criteria, and the potential risks of overlooking energy deficiency in athletes, while also addressing the importance of a holistic approach to athlete care and recovery.

  • Understand the key components of RED-S and its impact on athletic performance.
  • Evaluate the scientific evidence for and against RED-S.
  • Discuss the challenges of diagnosing RED-S and the role of medical professionals in recognizing energy deficiencies.

2. The Untapped Fuelling Potential of Female Endurance Athletes: Understanding Current Nutrition Behaviours and Perceptions

Harvey is a PhD researcher in female physiology and nutrition, where his work focusses on developing optimal nutrition strategies for athletes, but also understanding the real world challenges and influences that athletes face day-to-day. His research has particularly focussed on the effects of nutrition on metabolic and gastrointestinal responses during endurance and ultra-endurance exercise. Harvey is an active performance nutritionist and consults with Total Endurance Nutrition offering support for endurance athletes of all ages and abilities. He has experience working with elite runners and cyclists, including Team New Balance Manchester and UCI continental team DAS-Hutchinson-Brother, as well as supporting numerous world record endurance events. Harvey has a particular personal interest in ultra-endurance and the demands that this places on the human body.

This talk will explore:

  • current nutrition guidelines for female endurance athletes for training and competition
  • current nutrition practices and perceptions of female endurance athletes for training and competition
  • understanding the complexities and real-world challenges of athletes and how this relates to athletes’ behaviours and perceptions
  • the untapped potential of female endurance athletes, how we can support athletes being healthier and simultaneously perform better
  • why we should be responsible for progressing female sports, as researchers, practitioners, athletes or supporters

3. Fuelling to finish fast: lessons from the field and lab for elite female marathon carbohydrate intake

Prof James Morton - James is a Professor of Exercise Metabolism. He has authored over 170 research publications in the fields of sports nutrition, physiology and metabolism as well as numerous books and book chapters on these topics. In addition to research, James also works in elite professional sport in both sports physiology and nutrition support roles. James was the Head of Nutrition and Physical Performance Lead for Team Sky between 2015 and 2019 having led the nutrition strategy for 5 successive Tour de France victories. More recently, he has published high profile papers relating to the energy and carbohydrate requirements of female athletes across a range of sports.

Dr Jamie Pugh - Jamie is a Senior Lecturer in Exercise Physiology. His research has included work relating to use of exogenous carbohydrates , as well as digestive symptoms experience by athletes, during endurance exercise. He has also worked with elite marathon and ultra marathon runners and currently holds a role as Physiologist for England Athletics.

The talk will discuss:

  • barriers and enablers to optimal race fuelling behaviours in elite female marathon runners
  • if the rate of carbohydrate ingestion effects substrate utilisation and gastrointestinal distress at marathon pace
  • case study data from a World Champion female marathon runner