The Latest Research in Advanced Athletics and Heat Stroke with Dr. Rob Huggins

Today on The Lab Report: Dr. Robert Huggins has treated more than 80 cases of exertional heat stroke. As Chief Research Officer at the Korey Stringer Institute at UCONN, he studies what happens to the human body under heat and strain, both for elite athletes and for the warehouse workers, delivery drivers and construction crews who handle extreme conditions every day. In this episode, Dr. Huggins explains what KSI does, what goes on inside the lab, and how research on keeping workers safe ends up helping athletes perform better.

Join us as we talk with Dr. Robert Huggins about heat safety, hydration, wearable technology and the biomarkers that can help prevent injury and illness. We also get into the gut: what the microbiome tells us about athletes, and what turned up when runners at the Falmouth Road Race were tested with GI Effects. Finally, we look at how functional testing like NutrEval is changing exercise physiology. Is the future of athletic performance less about training harder and more about understanding what’s going on inside?

2:35 - Introducing the amazing Dr. Rob Huggins, PhD

5:00 - Where did the Korey Stringer Institute originate?

9:00 - The wide world of corporate sponsors supporting KSI

10:00 - Advocating for occupationally safety and heat related deaths

14:00 - What's does a research lab on heat stroke look like?

18:00 - What are some examples of heat lab experiments?

21:00 - How are occupational safety and athletic performance similar?

25:00 - How do you use advanced lab testing in athletics to optimize?

35:30 - What is the microbiome's role in heat stroke?

42:00 - The Microgenderome and it's impact on gut function