# Low Energy Availability (LEA), Nutritional Deficiencies and Hypertension in Black Division I Athletes

> **NIH NIH R16** · NORTH CAROLINA AGRI & TECH ST UNIV · 2024 · $171,565

## Abstract

Title: Low Energy Availability (LEA), Nutrient Deficiencies, and Hypertension in Black Division I Athletes
SPECIFIC AIMS: The International Olympic Committee on Sports Nutrition (IOCSN) recognized low energy
availability (LEA), defined as inadequate calorie intake relative to energy expenditure. LEA may be particularly
important cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk among minority athlete populations, especially those exposed to
poor Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). This includes Black NCAA Division I collegiate athletes (BD1As),
who make up 21% of the Division I population and have a 5x higher risk of sudden cardiac death compared
to white athletes. Many of the SDOH indicators are alleviated as a Division I athlete (food is available, education
support staff, economic stability, etc.). However, many BD1As come from areas described above and have limited
awareness of nutritional factors that impact their health. Our pilot data indicate that BD1As with LEA, were over
seven times (OR = 7.2) more likely to have hypertension. Further work is required to identify the mechanisms
linking LEA to CVD. However, unraveling the mechanism’s two gaps in the literature should be addressed: (i)
establish whether the association between LEA and CVD risk is measurable; and (ii) determine whether the
association between LEA and CVD is modifiable. Filling these gaps will make it possible to identify at-risk athletes
and to prescribe strategies to restore energy balance (LEA) and/or directly decrease CVD risk.
Our long-term goal is to develop a practical, scalable, and effective non-pharmacological intervention to
decrease LEA as a way to mitigate CVD risk in BD1As. To support this goal, the overall objective of this
proposal is to robustly measure the strength of the association between LEA and HBP risk (in a larger cohort)
and determine whether SDOH moderates this association. We hypothesize that those identified as LEA will
significantly increase CVD risk and therefore propose two specific aims. Aim 1 will test the hypothesis that LEA
is positively associated with cardio-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), a measure of aortic arterial stiffness
and the gold-standard biomarker of vascular aging. Aim 2 will test the hypothesis that LEA and cfPWV is
moderated by SDOH. While SDOH research among BD1As does not exist, AAs are more likely to be deficient in
fruits, vegetables while southern regions consume larger quantities of added fats, fried foods, processed meats,
and sugar-sweetened beverages known to negatively impact cardiovascular health.
Completion of this work will help mitigate the empirical understanding that BD1As are >7x more likely to
experience HBP and 5x more likely to experience sudden cardiac death.
The proposed longitudinal observational study will recruit a cohort of >120 BD1As aged 18-25 years recruited
from various sports that include an equitable male/female population from a large HBCU. Participants will be
assessed twice, ~4 months apart conti...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10937794
- **Project number:** 1R16HL179144-01
- **Recipient organization:** NORTH CAROLINA AGRI & TECH ST UNIV
- **Principal Investigator:** Troy Purdom
- **Activity code:** R16 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $171,565
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-01 → 2028-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10937794

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10937794, Low Energy Availability (LEA), Nutritional Deficiencies and Hypertension in Black Division I Athletes (1R16HL179144-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10937794. Licensed CC0.

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