Projects

Exercise metabolomics

The human metabolism can be strongly influenced by physical activity. In fact, acute and chronic exercise can have different effects on both performance- and health-promoting processes. The respective underlying metabolic pathways are investigated in this research project. In terms of methodology, focus is given to metabolomics analyses for the detection of a large number of low-molecular weight compounds in human biospecimen (e.g., blood or urine). In the framework of controlled interventional studies on either high-intensity interval training or acute endurance activity, exercise-induced metabolic alterations are systematically analyzed by metabolomics. Furthermore, metabolomics data from a large-scale cross-sectional study (KarMeN study) serve as a basis for the comprehensive examination of the relationship between the physical fitness and metabolic pattern in plasma or urine. Aim of this research project is to identify activity- or fitness-associated metabolite profiles that hint at metabolic pathways which are linked to the beneficial effects of physical activity.