Articles by author: Brock University

• Brock research warns of birth control pill risks for athletes

  Tuesday, August 22, 2023 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: Aug 22 2023 – R0072

  Female athletes who are long-term oral contraceptive pill users have up to five times the amount of a marker identifying cardiovascular disease risk than those not on the pill, says new Brock-partnered research.

  Taking the pill for more than a year increases basal levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a protein that raises the risk of inflammation and cardiovascular conditions, which could lead to heart attacks, strokes and other diseases, says the study’s senior author Toby Mündel.

  The Professor of Kinesiology at Brock University says the risk is over the long term and does not necessarily present an immediate danger.

  “For most people, it’s less of a singular event like a heart attack or a stroke,” he says. “It’s more like a build-up where, at some point in your life, you’re going to be told by a doctor, ‘hang on, you need blood pressure medication.’”

  The study, “Does chronic oral contraceptive use detrimentally affect C-reactive protein or iron status for endurance-trained women?,” compared eight naturally menstruating females and eight females who had been continuously taking the monophasic combined oral contraception pill for more than 12 months.

  Monophasic pills contain the same amount of synthetic estrogen and progesterone throughout the four-week cycle, with one week of placebo or sugar pills.

  The research team, which included first author Claire Badenhorst from Massey University of New Zealand and Andrew Govus at La Trobe University in Australia, ensured the two groups of females had identical diet and exercise routines that meant they were well rested.

  At certain points during the menstrual cycle, the researchers gathered and tested blood and urine samples from all participants.

  “We found that according to their blood CRP levels only one out of the eight females who had a normal menstrual cycle had an intermediate risk of cardiovascular disease, whereas in the group of females taking the oral contraceptive pill, five out of the eight females had an intermediate risk, and two were at a high risk of cardiovascular disease,” says Mündel. “Some might see these results as counter-intuitive, since exercise protects against cardiovascular diseases.”

  Mündel notes that the body produces CRP, found in blood plasma, as low-grade inflammation. He says researchers are unclear about how and why the oral contraceptive pill brings about inflammation.

  “One of the thoughts is that oral contraceptives contain synthetic hormones, which may not have the protective effects of naturally occurring estrogen,” he says, adding that some scientists say synthetic hormones could trigger “something negative” that affects cells lining blood vessels.

  Mündel recommends that female athletes deciding whether or not to take the oral contraception pill view his team’s research findings in a larger context, especially for females prescribed the pill for reasons other than contraception.

  “There are real advantages and benefits from taking the contraceptive pill, be it for birth control at a certain stage in their career or to control heavy menstrual bleeding and other negative conditions,” he says. “People need to be informed of any consequences as they determine the balance between risks and benefits.”

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Maryanne St. Denis, Manager, Content and Communications, Brock University mstdenis@brocku.ca or 905-246-0256

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  Categories: Media releases

• Brock experts discuss environmental, logistical impacts of wildfires

  Monday, August 21, 2023 | By Brock University

  EXPERT ADVISORY: Aug 21 2023 – R0071

  Out-of-control wildfires in British Columbia and the Northwest Territories are not only destroying properties but also altering natural environments and calling attention to the ways natural disasters are handled, say Brock University environmental researchers.

  While poor air quality is an easily recognizable impact, “the effects of these fires on water quality are quite profound,” says Assistant Professor of Chemistry Vaughn Mangal.

  Forests hold large quantities of organic carbon and chemical compounds such as nitrates and phosphates that are nutritious for plant life, but also contain contaminants like mercury and cadmium that are harmful for plants and human health.

  Mangal says forest fires can transport mercury to aquatic systems. Along with inputs of organic carbon and nutrients, microorganisms can create a chemical called methylmercury, a neurotoxin to humans and animals that can accumulate in fish across water sources.

  The physical debris from forest fires also changes the types of carbon found in aquatic systems, says Mangal.

  “For example, when ash settles and debris deposits onto the water, it increases the carbon and contaminant presence in the water causing the water to be darker, more turbid and more odorous,” he says.

  This increased organic carbon in the water can lead to the growth of algae blooms that remove much-needed oxygen from water and can also produce more greenhouse gases, further contributing to climate change, he says.

  Also contributing to greenhouse gases is carbon being released from thawing permafrost, says Professor of Geography and Tourism Studies Michael Pisaric.

  Permafrost, or ground that is permanently frozen from one year to the next, is a dominant feature of Canada’s North.

  “Forest fires burning in regions underlain by permafrost disturb the vegetation cover, hastening permafrost degradation and thaw,” says Pisaric, adding that carbon trapped in permafrost decomposes when thawed.

  Intense fires burn more deeply into the organic layers of soil, which makes soil less porous, he says. This affects the ability of soils to effectively channel water into the ground, potentially impacting the types of vegetation that can re-establish after a fire.

  In some cases, fires are recurring so frequently in recent decades that some long-lived vegetation types are not able to establish and reproduce before the next fire occurs, Pisaric says.

  “Studies near Yellowknife and in parts of Yukon Territory are showing that in severely burned areas, some of the typical conifer species that characterize Canada’s boreal regions are having difficulties re-establishing following these severe fire events due to the increased moisture stress that occurs in these severely burned areas,” he says.

  Residents in the Northwest Territories and British Columbia are grappling with the impacts of having to flee their homes on short notice, putting the spotlight on how authorities deal with forest fires.

  “The transfer and co-ordination of authority and management between the local and provincial levels is challenging, as it is negotiated in real time and as the situation is extremely unpredictable,” says Associate Professor of the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre Julia Baird.

  Baird, Canada Research Chair in Human Dimensions of Water Resources and Water Resilience, and her colleagues conducted research on major wildfires in Alberta and Sweden.

  “What we learned was that it is really important to build relationships in advance of an emergency, as those relationships yield benefits when needed — for example, an emergency responder can capitalize on existing connections and very quickly have the necessary information to a critical question,” says Baird.

  She says clear procedures with built-in flexibility can support the scale-up of an emergency response.

  “Evacuation and meeting the physical needs of evacuees is interconnected with logistics and supply, as the needs of the evacuation centres and resources available are constantly in interplay and offers of assistance must be co-ordinated with need levels,” Baird says.

  “Another example is the task of communication to the public and evacuation, where those being evacuated need timely information about where to go, and the information itself depends on capacity and fire forecasts.”

  Brock University Assistant Professor of Chemistry Vaughn Mangal, Professor of Geography and Tourism Studies Michael Pisaric and Associate Professor of the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre Julia Baird are available for media interviews on the topic.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Maryanne St. Denis, Manager, Content and Communications, Brock University mstdenis@brocku.ca or 905-246-0256

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  Categories: Media releases