{"id":87203,"date":"2023-08-10T10:04:22","date_gmt":"2023-08-10T14:04:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=87203"},"modified":"2023-08-10T21:20:05","modified_gmt":"2023-08-11T01:20:05","slug":"usra-grants-advance-undergraduate-research-at-brock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2023\/08\/usra-grants-advance-undergraduate-research-at-brock\/","title":{"rendered":"USRA grants advance undergraduate research at Brock"},"content":{"rendered":"

The \u2018bulk and cut\u2019 training approach used by competitive bodybuilders may soon be coming to neighbourhood gyms if Steven Kottaras (BKin \u201923) has his way.<\/p>\n

Under the direction of Professor of Kinesiology Nota Klentrou, Kottaras is conducting research on the diet and training strategy through an Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA)<\/a> being offered by the federal government\u2019s Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).<\/p>\n

The program supports more than 3,000 undergraduate students across Canada with grants of $6,000 combined with support from the institution. Brock University has co-funded this award for 28 undergraduate students for the 2023-24 period that began earlier this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe NSERC USRA grant program helps to support up and coming student researchers of the future,\u201d says Associate Vice-President, Research Deborah O\u2019Leary. \u201cThrough active mentoring from experienced faculty, students gain a variety of skills and experiences that will help them successfully pursue a career in research.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kottaras is in various stages of recruiting and training 15 male participants ages 30 to 45 years to see if his team\u2019s version of \u2018bulk and cut\u2019 will deliver similar health benefits.<\/p>\n

The strategy involves eating more calories than are burned in order to promotes muscle gain and then consuming fewer calories to lose fat while emphasizing adequate protein intake, all while undergoing a resistance training routine.<\/p>\n

Working with a professional trainer, Kottaras is investigating how the combined diet and training regime could be adapted to benefit the general public.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe expect to see beneficial outcomes with respect to body composition, strength, metabolic and inflammatory markers, as well as body image and other mental health indices,\u201d says Kottaras.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith this third USRA, Steve completed his Kinesiology degree with three journal publications and is heading to Ireland for his medical degree,\u201d says Klentrou, noting that \u201cstrong research skills are critical for the training of a new generation of clinical scientists.\u201d<\/p>\n

With his USRA, Mitchell Ianiero (BSc ’23) is in the beginning stages of a 12-week study examining how polyphenols found in rooibos tea may boost bone mineral density and bone structure in post-menopausal women.<\/p>\n

Ianiero\u2019s study builds on earlier research<\/a> by his supervisor, Professor of Kinesiology Wendy Ward, who found that bioactives called flavonoids present in rooibos tea stimulate bone cells to produce more bone mineral.<\/p>\n

Flavonoids are a class of polyphenols, compounds found in fruits, vegetables, herbs and other plant foods that can function as antioxidants and reduce inflammation among other health benefits.<\/p>\n

Using animal models, Ianiero is developing a method to measure levels of polyphenols and metabolites \u2014 small molecules that are the end products of metabolism \u2014 in samples to see if rooibos polyphenols can slow the loss of bone mineral and structure, conditions that lead to osteoporosis and fractures in older adults.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be a physician one day,\u201d says Ianiero, who will be continuing with Ward in a master\u2019s program this fall. \u201cI thought that now would be the right time to get this experience doing really good research that relates to women\u2019s health.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMitchell is going to take these research skills into his master\u2019s and really hit the ground running,\u201d says Ward of the USRA experience. \u201cNSERC\u2019s program furthers those critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are so important not only in research but in life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brock University\u2019s 2023-24 USRA recipients are:<\/p>\n