About Me
I am an Emeritus Professor at Loughborough University, UK. I retired in 2016 and was previously Professor of Exercise Biochemistry in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences of Loughborough University. My education began in 1960 at Mills Hill Primary School in Chadderton, near Oldham, followed by Chadderton Grammar School (1967-73) where I gained 9 'O' levels and 4 'A' levels in Biology, Chemistry, Maths and General Studies. My first degree was in Biochemistry at the University of Birmingham, graduating in 1976. My PhD research was carried out at the University of Central Lancashire in collaboration with Queen’s College London and concerned the effects of diet and exercise training on energy metabolism. I carried out postdoctoral research in exercise physiology and metabolism at Salford University for three years and this was followed by three years as a temporary lecturer at the University of Edinburgh. I conducted further research on diet-exercise interactions as a senior research fellow at the University of Aberdeen for three years and then joined Coventry University as a senior lecturer in 1987. I moved to the University of Birmingham in 1996 where I progressed from senior lecturer to professor in the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, being awarded a personal chair in exercise biochemistry in 1999. I joined Loughborough University’s School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences in 2002. Loughborough is renowned for its excellence in sport and sport science. My main research interests have been in the metabolic responses to exercise, sports nutrition, and the effects of acute and chronic exercise on the function of the immune system.
I am an Emeritus Professor at Loughborough University, UK. I retired in 2016 and was previously Professor of Exercise Biochemistry in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences of Loughborough University. My education began in 1960 at Mills Hill Primary School in Chadderton, near Oldham, followed by Chadderton Grammar School (1967-73) where I gained 9 'O' levels and 4 'A' levels in Biology, Chemistry, Maths and General Studies. My first degree was in Biochemistry at the University of Birmingham, graduating in 1976. My PhD research was carried out at the University of Central Lancashire in collaboration with Queen’s College London and concerned the effects of diet and exercise training on energy metabolism. I carried out postdoctoral research in exercise physiology and metabolism at Salford University for three years and this was followed by three years as a temporary lecturer at the University of Edinburgh. I conducted further research on diet-exercise interactions as a senior research fellow at the University of Aberdeen for three years and then joined Coventry University as a senior lecturer in 1987. I moved to the University of Birmingham in 1996 where I progressed from senior lecturer to professor in the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, being awarded a personal chair in exercise biochemistry in 1999. I joined Loughborough University’s School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences in 2002. Loughborough is renowned for its excellence in sport and sport science. My main research interests have been in the metabolic responses to exercise, sports nutrition, and the effects of acute and chronic exercise on the function of the immune system.
I was the physiology section editor for the Journal of Sports Sciences and an associate editor of Exercise Immunology Review. I have published over 200 research papers in scientific and medical journals, contributed chapters to over 30 books and have co-authored textbooks entitled Biochemistry of Exercise and Training (Oxford University Press 1997), The Biochemical Basis of Sports Performance (Oxford University Press 2004 and 2010), Sport Nutrition (Human Kinetics 2004, 2010 and 2018), Immune Function in Sport and Exercise (Elsevier 2006) and Exercise Immunology (Routledge 2013). I am a Fellow of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) and the European College of Sport Science (ECSS), as well as a past president of The International Society of Exercise and Immunology (ISEI). I have taught thousands of BSc sport and exercise science students, hundreds of MSc exercise physiology and sport nutrition students and supervised 17 PhD students. I have featured in several national radio and TV programs in the UK and my research has attracted interest from local, national and international media. I am still an active science writer and in the past few years I have contributed to international expert consensus reviews sponsored by the IOC (training load and illness, 2016), ISEI (immuno-nutrition, 2017) and UEFA (nutrition in elite football, 2020) as well as completing the 3rd edition of my highly popular book Sport Nutrition (Human Kinetics 2019) which I coauthor with Professor Asker Jeukendrup.
I was the physiology section editor for the Journal of Sports Sciences and an associate editor of Exercise Immunology Review. I have published over 200 research papers in scientific and medical journals, contributed chapters to over 30 books and have co-authored textbooks entitled Biochemistry of Exercise and Training (Oxford University Press 1997), The Biochemical Basis of Sports Performance (Oxford University Press 2004 and 2010), Sport Nutrition (Human Kinetics 2004, 2010 and 2018), Immune Function in Sport and Exercise (Elsevier 2006) and Exercise Immunology (Routledge 2013). I am a Fellow of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) and the European College of Sport Science (ECSS), as well as a past president of The International Society of Exercise and Immunology (ISEI). I have taught thousands of BSc sport and exercise science students, hundreds of MSc exercise physiology and sport nutrition students and supervised 17 PhD students. I have featured in several national radio and TV programs in the UK and my research has attracted interest from local, national and international media. I am still an active science writer and in the past few years I have contributed to international expert consensus reviews sponsored by the IOC (training load and illness, 2016), ISEI (immuno-nutrition, 2017) and UEFA (nutrition in elite football, 2020) as well as completing the 3rd edition of my highly popular book Sport Nutrition (Human Kinetics 2019) which I coauthor with Professor Asker Jeukendrup.
In 2020 I have released my first solo books Eat, Move, Sleep, Repeat (January 2020) and Beating Type 2 Diabetes (April 2020) both published by Meyer and Meyer. These books have been written for the benefit of the general public. They are both healthy lifestyle guidebooks that I hope will help people live healthy for longer. 10th December 2020 saw the release of my new weight loss guidebook The Pick 'n Mix Diet using multiple diets and physical activities to help people lose weight effectively, safely and healthily without having to stick to just one boring diet for weeks on end. This truly is a new revolution in dieting for weight loss.
In 2020 I have released my first solo books Eat, Move, Sleep, Repeat (January 2020) and Beating Type 2 Diabetes (April 2020) both published by Meyer and Meyer. These books have been written for the benefit of the general public. They are both healthy lifestyle guidebooks that I hope will help people live healthy for longer. 10th December 2020 saw the release of my new weight loss guidebook The Pick 'n Mix Diet using multiple diets and physical activities to help people lose weight effectively, safely and healthily without having to stick to just one boring diet for weeks on end. This truly is a new revolution in dieting for weight loss.
Following my 3-year involvement in the writing and editing of the UEFA Expert Group Statement (actually a comprehensive literature review with lots of advice and guidelines) on Nutrition in Elite Football which was published in October 2020 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine I am currently writing a book for the general public (and particularly the amateur player) on Football (Soccer) Nutrition. Two elite performance chefs, Rachel Muse and Bruno Cirillo, are providing meal recipes for the book and it should be published in time for Christmas 2021.
Following my 3-year involvement in the writing and editing of the UEFA Expert Group Statement (actually a comprehensive literature review with lots of advice and guidelines) on Nutrition in Elite Football which was published in October 2020 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine I am currently writing a book for the general public (and particularly the amateur player) on Football (Soccer) Nutrition. Two elite performance chefs, Rachel Muse and Bruno Cirillo, are providing meal recipes for the book and it should be published in time for Christmas 2021.
I am also a life-long fan of Oldham Athletic. In my spare time I enjoy watching football (especially Leicester City who I provide consultancy advice to on player performance and health nutrition), going to the theatre and walking in the countryside. I live in Burbage, a village in Leicestershire with my lovely wife Laura. We have been married for 40 years and I am eternally grateful for her love and support, putting up with all the time I spend researching and writing, for just being there for me and for helping to promote my books. Laura, my love and soulmate, without you life would not be worth living.
I am also a life-long fan of Oldham Athletic. In my spare time I enjoy watching football (especially Leicester City who I provide consultancy advice to on player performance and health nutrition), going to the theatre and walking in the countryside. I live in Burbage, a village in Leicestershire with my lovely wife Laura. We have been married for 40 years and I am eternally grateful for her love and support, putting up with all the time I spend researching and writing, for just being there for me and for helping to promote my books. Laura, my love and soulmate, without you life would not be worth living.