Ann F. Brown, Ph.D.

Summary: My research interests involve the influence of exercise, nutrition, and supplementation on body composition, menstrual cycle and overall health among females of all ages. More specifically, I focus on lifestyle interventions centered around optimizing female physiology. Recently, my research has focused on a particular body composition phenotype known as Normal Weight Obesity (NWO), a phenomenon where an individual falls into the ‘normal’ category for BMI, yet possess excessive body fat potentially dysregulating metabolic, cardiovascular and reproductive health. The goal of my lab is to continue to investigate the relationship between NWO and the menstrual cycle and identify hidden etiologies and potential solutions to optimize female health throughout the lifespan.

Minimum classes:  N/A

Projects:

• Identify dietary and exercise-related behaviors that differ between NOW and normal weight lean premenopausal women. This study will include dietary recall/analysis, physical activity and exercise tracking and assessment and body image perception.
• Compare physical and physiological health profiles of NWO and normal weight lean premenopausal females. We will rigorously document body composition and circumferences, muscular strength and endurance, aerobic fitness, metabolic health, oxidative stress, inflammation, and menstrual health. This study will use dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), bioelectrical impedance analysis (Inbody), 1-repetition maximum testing, aerobic fitness testing, blood pressure, and blood draw.
• Measure the within- and between-participant variability of metabolic and reproductive health across the menstrual cycle among premenopausal females. We will assess body composition, and metabolic and reproductive health across four critical time points during the phases of the menstrual cycle.
• Characterize dietary intake and physical activity behaviors across the menstrual cycle among premenopausal females. We will document dietary intake, eating behaviors, and physical activity across three menstrual cycles.