Staff profile

Lindsay has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences since 2020 after joining from the sportscotland Insitute of sport. She has expertise in sport and exercise nutrition, body composition, and athlete health and welfare. Her research and teaching aim to improve athlete wellbeing by translating evidence into practice, challenging outdated norms, and promoting holistic, evidence-based approaches.

Lindsay’s research investigates the intersection of sport and exercise nutrition, body composition assessment, and athlete health, with a particular focus on low energy availability and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs). She has built international collaborations that have led to the development and publication of best practice guidelines, under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and further publications. Lindsay secured funding and initiated a participatory research group that brings together athletes, coaches, practitioners, and researchers to challenge outdated norms and promote holistic, evidence-based approaches related to body composition. Her work extends beyond academia through interdisciplinary projects including with industry partners which strengthen knowledge exchange.

Lindsay’s research is driven by a commitment to improve athlete welfare by raising awareness, informing practice, and implementing international standards. Lindsay has been an invited keynote speaker on this topic at various European Conferences. She actively disseminates knowledge through multiple channels including a BMJ blog on body composition and REDs, writing for The Conversation, and co-authoring expert statements for the Chartered Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (CASES) and regularly engages in public outreach through science festivals and community talks.

Lindsay teaches across the undergraduate programmes in the Department, integrating theory with practical application to create engaging and inclusive learning experiences. Her teaching is consistently rated highly by students, who value interactive lectures, practical laboratory sessions, and real-world examples. As a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, she has led curriculum development in physiology and nutrition pathways and integrates innovative approaches throughout her taught content. Beyond the classroom, she has mentored postgraduate tutors, teaching fellows, and placement students, supporting their pedagogical and personal development.

Research Interests

• Sport and Exercise Nutrition
• Body Composition Assessment and Best Practice
• Athlete Health and Welfare
• Low Energy Availability and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs)
• Applied Nutrition Strategies for Performance

PhD Supervision - Lindsay supervises doctoral research in sport and exercise nutrition, body composition and athlete health, and low energy availability and REDs, with an emphasis on applied strategies to improve performance and wellbeing. She is interested in interdisciplinary approaches and has supported students in securing competitive funding and professional development opportunities.

Esteem Indicators

• Editorial Board Member: Performance Nutrition
• Invited Keynote Speaker: International Society of the Advancement of Kinanthropometry, Swiss Sport Nutrition Society
• Member of IOC Expert Working Group on body composition
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
• Practitioner Member: Sport and Exercise Nutrition Register (SENr)
• Peer Reviewer: Medicine & Science in Sport and Exercise, Journal of Sports Science, IJSPNEM, PLoS ONE, Sport Sciences for Health

• Sport Nutrition
• Body Composition
• Exercise Metabolism

Journal Article

• Prioritizing Athlete Health and Well-Being: Addressing Gaps in Coach Education and Practice for Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, Nutrition, and Body Composition
  
  Kirby, J. B., Pereira Vargas, M. L. F., Macnaughton, L., Drummond, S., Rodriguez, L., & Meyer, N. (2025). Prioritizing Athlete Health and Well-Being: Addressing Gaps in Coach Education and Practice for Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, Nutrition, and Body Composition. International Sport Coaching Journal, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1123/iscj.2024-0026
• Best practice recommendations for body composition considerations in sport to reduce health and performance risks: a critical review, original survey and expert opinion by a subgroup of the IOC consensus on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs)
  
  Mathisen, T. F., Ackland, T., Burke, L. M., Constantini, N., Haudum, J., Macnaughton, L. S., Meyer, N. L., Mountjoy, M., Slater, G., & Sundgot-Borgen, J. (2023). Best practice recommendations for body composition considerations in sport to reduce health and performance risks: a critical review, original survey and expert opinion by a subgroup of the IOC consensus on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs). British Journal of Sports Medicine, 57(17), 1148-1160. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2023-106812
• The impact of dietary protein supplementation on recovery from resistance exercise-induced muscle damage: A systematic review with meta-analysis
  
  Pearson, A. G., Hind, K., & Macnaughton, L. S. (2023). The impact of dietary protein supplementation on recovery from resistance exercise-induced muscle damage: A systematic review with meta-analysis. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 77, 767–783. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-022-01250-y
• Milk protein ingestion does not enhance recovery from muscle-damaging resistance exercise in untrained males and females: a randomized controlled trial
  
  Pearson, A. G., Macnaughton, L. S., & Hind, K. (2023). Milk protein ingestion does not enhance recovery from muscle-damaging resistance exercise in untrained males and females: a randomized controlled trial. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 48(6), 455-468. https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2022-0385
• Sex differences in the impact of resistance exercise load on muscle damage: A protocol for a randomised parallel group trial
  
  Pearson, A. G., Macnaughton, L. S., & Hind, K. (2022). Sex differences in the impact of resistance exercise load on muscle damage: A protocol for a randomised parallel group trial. PLoS ONE, 17(9). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0275221
• Human skeletal muscle metabolic responses to 6 days of high‐fat overfeeding are associated with dietary n‐3PUFA content and muscle oxidative capacity
  
  Wardle, S. L., Macnaughton, L. S., McGlory, C., Witard, O. C., Dick, J. R., Whitfield, P. D., Ferrando, A. A., Wolfe, R. R., Kim, I., Hamilton, D. L., Moran, C. N., Tipton, K. D., & Galloway, S. D. (2020). Human skeletal muscle metabolic responses to 6 days of high‐fat overfeeding are associated with dietary n‐3PUFA content and muscle oxidative capacity. Physiological Reports, 8(16), Article e14529. https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.14529
• Variances in Strength and Conditioning Practice in Elite Rugby Union Between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres
  
  Jones, T. W., Smith, A., Macnaughton, L. S., & French, D. N. (2017). Variances in Strength and Conditioning Practice in Elite Rugby Union Between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 31(12), 3358-3371. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000001773
• Strength and Conditioning and Concurrent Training Practices in Elite Rugby Union
  
  Jones, T. W., Smith, A., Macnaughton, L. S., & French, D. N. (2016). Strength and Conditioning and Concurrent Training Practices in Elite Rugby Union. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 30(12), 3354-3366. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000001445
• The response of muscle protein synthesis following whole-body resistance exercise is greater following 40 g than 20 g of ingested whey protein
  
  Macnaughton, L., Wardle, S., Witard, O., McGlory, C., Hamilton, D., Jeromson, S., Lawrence, C., Wallis, G., & Tipton, K. (2016). The response of muscle protein synthesis following whole-body resistance exercise is greater following 40 g than 20 g of ingested whey protein. Physiological Reports, 4(15), Article e12893. https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.12893
• Protein considerations for optimising skeletal muscle mass in healthy young and older adults
  
  Witard, O., Wardle, S., Macnaughton, L., Hodgson, A., & Tipton, K. (2016). Protein considerations for optimising skeletal muscle mass in healthy young and older adults. Nutrients, 8(4), Article 181. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8040181
• Fish oil supplementation suppresses resistance exercise and feeding-induced increases in anabolic signaling without affecting myofibrillar protein synthesis in young men
  
  Mcglory, C., Wardle, S., Macnaughton, L., Witard, O., Scott, F., Dick, J., Bell, J., Phillips, S., Galloway, S., Hamilton, D., & Tipton, K. (2016). Fish oil supplementation suppresses resistance exercise and feeding-induced increases in anabolic signaling without affecting myofibrillar protein synthesis in young men. Physiological Reports, 4(6), Article e12715. https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.12715