Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical education
University of Toronto
Women are increasingly seeking guidance on how nutrition should be integrated with exercise to optimize health. However, social media is saturated with claims that women must follow specific nutrition strategies around exercise. These messages can create confusion for practitioners and the public, particularly when they are not grounded in strong scientific evidence. This presentation will critically evaluate common claims to distinguish well-supported findings from speculation. Topics will include whether fasted exercise is harmful for women, post-exercise nutrition strategies to support metabolic health, and whether menstrual cycle and menopausal status meaningfully alters exercise-nutrition recommendations.
Dr. Jenna Gillen is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education and co-director of the Centre for Cardiometabolic, Oncology, Diet and Exercise Research in Women (CODE-W) at the University of Toronto. Her research examines how exercise, nutrition, and their interaction influence whole-body and skeletal muscle glucose metabolism, with a particular focus on women’s health and sex-based differences. Dr. Gillen has published more than 60 peer-reviewed publications and holds research funding from agencies including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation.