The future of female athletic health

Sports medicine physician Emily Kraus knows a lot about the health challenges of female athletes. Women face far more ACL tears and bone stress injuries than men, for instance, and excessive training or poor nutrition can also delay puberty and affect menstruation. These differences are vastly understudied, she says. To close the gap, Kraus initiated the “Female Athlete Voice Project” that asks female Olympic and Paralympic athletes about their health experiences. We need to tailor approaches specific to female athletes, Kraus tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering’sThe Future of Everything podcast.Have a question for Russ? Send it our way in writing or via voice memo, and it might be featured on an upcoming episode. Please introduce yourself, let us know where you're listening from, and share your quest. You can send questions to [email protected] Reference Links:Stanford Profile: Emily KrausEmily’s Survey: Centering The Female Athlete Voice in a Sports Science Research AgendaStanford FASTR ProgramWu Tsai Human Performance AllianceConnect With Us:Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything WebsiteConnect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / MastodonConnect with School of Engineering >>> Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / FacebookChapters:(00:00:00) IntroductionHost Russ Altman introduces Emily Kraus, a professor of orthopedics at Stanford University and an expert on the issues of women's health.(00:02:19) Health Challenges for Female AthletesPrevalent injuries and health issues unique to female athletes.(00:03:57) Hormonal Health and PubertyThe impact of hormonal health and menstrual cycles on young athletes’ performance.(00:06:57) Body Composition and Mental HealthThe challenges and psychological impact puberty has on young athletes.(00:08:53) Female Athletes in AdulthoodThe lack of research and resources available for female athletes during major life transitions.(00:12:48) Nutrition, Fueling, and Recovery ScienceHow science has evolved in understanding nutrition, recovery, and strategic rest.(00:15:54) Gender Differences in Fueling and RecoveringThe differences between male and female athletes in nutrition and recovery.(00:19:19) Survey of Olympic AthletesInsights from female Olympians and Paralympians on the key gaps in sports science research.(00:21:40) The WUSAI Human Performance AllianceThe WUSAI Human Performance Alliance’s focus on uncovering the principles of human performance.(00:25:35) The Female Athlete SurveyThe unexpected findings from the survey, highlighting the sexism and inequity in sports.(00:27:26) Spreading Knowledge to Athletes and CliniciansHow Emily’s research is being received by the broader athletic and medical communities.(00:30:00) Conclusion Connect With Us:Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything WebsiteConnect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / MastodonConnect with School of Engineering >>>Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.