Dr José Areta
Physiological Society Representative and Ambassador for the Society for Endocrinology
Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences (RISES) at Liverpool John Moores University, UK.

Dr José Areta organised and led the Energy Stress Meeting, supported by the Institutional Engagement Award by The Physiological Society and the “Meeting Support Grant” he received from the Society for Endocrinology. José summarises the meeting and its aim to enhance research on energy deficit and energy balance.

The “Energy Stress Meeting” took place on 15 September 2022 at Liverpool John Moores University, UK. It was the first meeting that brought together a group of international experts researching the endocrine, physiological and metabolic effects of dietary energy deficit and energy balance in humans. The topic is an important area of research considering the current obesity pandemic and the high prevalence of inadequate fuelling in many athletes. Through researching these seemingly divergent populations we seek to understand the underpinning physiological mechanisms in response to states of energy deprivation.

The meeting provided eight stimulating high quality talks providing rich insights on the physiological effect of energy deficit from different perspectives. The speakers drew insights from divergent human populations, including athletes, overweight/obese and general population, discussing their responses to energy deficit, focusing on different levels of organisation from molecules to whole organism.

It was an honour to have prominent international speakers presenting at the meeting. These included Professor John Speakman from University of Aberdeen, UK and Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing, China), who is a fellow of the Royal Society and a “1000 talents” professor at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Another international speaker was the highly regarded Spanish exercise physiologist, Professor José Calbet, from University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Spain, who trained with Professor Bengt Saltin in Copenhagen in the 90s. Also, up-and-coming talent Professor Karsten Koehler, from Technical University in Munich (TUM), Germany, and Dr Eimear Dolan, from the University of Sâo Paolo.

In addition to the international speakers, established and up-and-coming researchers from the UK presented stimulating talks at the meeting. A prominent figure among these was Professor James Betts from University of Bath, followed by Dr Mark Hopkins from University of Leeds, Dr Carl Langan-Evans, and myself from Liverpool John Moores University.

The meeting was attended by individuals from the UK, as well as international delegates from France and Spain, seeking the latest information in this topic.

In addition to the one-day seminar, the meeting included a networking session on the morning after the talks to enhance research collaborations between the speakers and boost the current research agenda on the topic.