Podcast 186: The Gender Gap in Research – And How It's Affecting Women’s Health

On this week's WHOOP podcast, Emily Capodilupo, WHOOP SVP of Data Science & Research, and Kristen Holmes, WHOOP VP of Performance, discuss the gender inequities in research - and how wearables could be well positioned to help close the gap.

Emily Capodilupo, WHOOP SVP of Data Science & Research, and Kristen Holmes, WHOOP VP of Performance, join the podcast to discuss the perils that come with disregarding sex as a meaningful biological variable in research on the heels of Women's Equality Day. Only 6% of athletic performance research focuses on women, and that lack of parity in research has significant implications on training, fueling, medication dosing, diagnostics, and beyond. Emily and Kristen share research conducted by WHOOP with partners at West Virginia University, SHAPE, and Florida State University that is slowly dispelling myths around menstruation, pregnancy, and more, and how wearables could help meaningfully change the research landscape. We have new ways to interact with the WHOOP Podcast! You can email us – Podcast@whoop.com – or you can call our new listener line (508-443-4952) and leave a question or comment, and your question might be answered on a future episode.  

EQUALITY IN RESEARCH EPISODE CHAPTERS:

3:48 - Why disparities in research exist

7:53 - How exclusion has been both systemic and practical 13:24 - The role lack of research has in diagnostics and in medication dosage 19:01 - How wearables are well posited to bridge the research gap 25: 11 - Pivotal research on how exercise can benefit you if you're pregnant 29:02 - The impact of training and pre-sleep feeding on women 32:59 - Training modulations during different phases of the menstrual cycle

  Other resources to check out: Stacy Sims on Nutrition Differences between Men & Women Why We Need a Title IX for Research Pregnancy Study Shows Benefits of Exercise