PhD students participating in August Krogh seminars receive 0,2 ECTS per seminar
AKC seminar: Physiology Shaped by Real-World Influences
Sex Differences in Postprandial Metabolism and Exercise–Nutrition Interactions in Women
August Krogh Seminar
Jenna Gillen
Associate Professor
Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, University of Toronto
Abstract
Research in human metabolism and exercise physiology has traditionally relied on in-person assessments, invasive methodologies, and tightly controlled laboratory conditions. While these approaches remain fundamental, complementary strategies are valuable when in-person testing is not feasible and when studying responses under more real-life conditions.
More recently, our research has examined human metabolic physiology using experimental models that incorporate real-world influences, including oral nutrient ingestion, time-efficient exercise, and, in some cases, decentralized assessments.
In this talk, I will present recent and ongoing work from our lab using both remote and in-person approaches. I will first examine sex differences in postprandial metabolism at rest and following exercise, including new work using an oral glucose tracer alongside traditional methods such as muscle biopsies. I will then explore exercise–nutrition interactions and how nutritional manipulation around exercise influences metabolic adaptations in women using time-efficient exercise models. Finally, I will discuss ongoing work examining how female-specific factors, including hormonal status and reproductive transitions, shape metabolic responses to feeding and exercise.
Links to relevant literature
Interactive effects of low-volume interval exercise and nutrition on glycemic control
The influence of sex on fiber-specific indices of oxidative capacity in human skeletal muscle
Researcher profile
K Jenna Gillen earned her PhD from McMaster University in Canada in 2015 under the supervision of Dr. Martin Gibala, where she studied skeletal muscle and health-related adaptations to low-volume high-intensity interval training. She then completed postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Michigan with Dr. Jeff Horowitz, investigating substrate metabolism and insulin resistance in obesity, and at the University of Toronto with Dr. Daniel Moore, focusing on nutritional influences on exercise responses.
Dr. Gillen joined the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education at the University of Toronto as an Assistant Professor in 2019 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2025. Her research focuses on understanding the effects of exercise, nutrition, and their interaction on whole-body and skeletal muscle glucose metabolism. Her program integrates approaches across the basic and clinical sciences, using advanced molecular, biochemical, and clinical tools to investigate the effects of lifestyle interventions on muscle metabolism and cardiometabolic health.
Her current work focuses on sex-based differences in metabolism and the physiological and health impacts of lifestyle interventions in women across the lifespan. Dr. Gillen has published more than 60 peer-reviewed articles and holds research funding from agencies including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation.
Time
24 April 2026
14:00-15:00: Seminar and discussion
15:00-16:00: Post seminar servings and socializing
Venue
Auditorium 1, August Krogh Building, Universitetsparken 13, DK-2100 Copenhagen
Registration
Participation is free, but please register here.
For PhD students
PhD students participating in August Krogh seminars receive 0,2 ECTS per seminar
Contact
Anders Gudiksen, anders.gudiksen@bio.ku.dk
