Presenting at the Biogredia symposium on womenโs health last week in Gstaad, Switzerland, she said that it is critical to consider theย impact of the menstrual cycle when looking at womenโs health and even more so in female athletes.
โUtilisation of carbohydrates and fats can differ from day two to day 28 of a cycle, so trying to โbiohackโ a female body is going to be extremely difficult,โย she told NutraIngredients.
Elite athletes are seeking constant progress, where a 1% improvement in performance is significant, as they seek to optimize their bodies.
This is where research into functional ingredients can come into play and support athletes by allowing them to maintain or increase lean muscle mass, while looking after bone health, recovery, endocrine function and more.
Next steps for society and industryย โ
Hill noted that the fact that women’s sports are becoming one of the biggest growing sectors showcases the demands of not only viewership but of women wanting to play sports.
“Consumers are seeking more bespoke solutions, and they understand that men and women are different,” she said. “And it’s a push-pull effect; we’re only able to launch successful products and get purchasing orders from these consumers if the sporting world grows with women.โ
The research and literature will continue to grow, she added, predicting that in two to three years, the industry will be established enough to define clear categories within womenโs health, accompanied by an increased focus on personalized nutrition.
A personal perspectiveโ
As an international cricket player, Hill also has experience on the field.
โThe more I play sport, the more we get established and get paid for performing at a high level, that kind of income can begin to go into supplements,โ she said.ย โPreviously it was more prominent, but even sometimes still, the majority of women in sports teams need to pay for their own petrol to get to games; theyโre not able to think of buying personalized supplements yet.โ
However, as pressure increases to create more equity across sports, there will hopefully be a “more even playing field”, Hill noted.ย โHopefully in the next five years, we will see real gender equality and equity.โย
She explained that Gencor has focused its attention on producing scientifically-backed solutions that enhance female health at all life stages.ย
Pain reduction with Levagen+ย โย
Levagen+ is a combination of palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), an endogenous fatty acid amide, and Gencorโs patented dispersion technology Lipisperse that improves bioavailability.ย ย
Previous studies have demonstrated its effectiveness inย reducing joint discomfortโ, lactate levelsโย andย muscle damage during exercise recoveryโ.
Gencor is due to publish the results of its most recent study on the effect of Levagen+ on menstrual pain, which Hill previewedย show a significant reduction in pain severity compared to a placebo
โBuilding on existing research, we wanted to be at the forefront of women’s health by looking at this untapped need that is a relevant and prevalent issue for many women,โ she said.ย
โTypically, women rely on Advil and ibuprofen which causes a lot of downstream negative effects to both the gut microbiome and muscle adaptation.ย This could be the safe and effective alternative to those pain medications.โ
Training and recovery with Hydrocurcโ
Iron absorption is one of the biggest obstacles in female health due to iron losses during menstruation and even more so in female athletes due to exercise-induced mechanisms associated with endurance activity, Hill explained.
Gencorโs curcuminoid extract Hydrocurc has been shown to conferย functional benefits for female sports enthusiasts and athletesโ, and recent research indicates thatย Hydrocurc supplementation safely improved iron absorptionโ.ย
One clinical study on exercise recovery also found that the ingredient couldย significantly reduce lactate levelsโ, reduce delayed onset muscle soreness and support a balanced inflammatory response.
Combined with iron supplementation, research suggests that Hydrocurc may allow for aย quicker return to exercise trainingโย or the ability to exercise at higher thresholds.
Muscle strength and Libifemโ
Recent studies have also show that Gencor’s patented fenugreek ingredient Libifemย increases strength and lean muscle massโย and decreases fat mass in female athletes.
Findings indicated that daily supplementation with a 600 mg dose of Libifem in conjunction with resistance training significantly increased strength and lean mass and decreased total fat mass and trunk fat mass.