The second-year undergraduate student of the Edge Hill University (England), India Middlebrook, has visited the Medical School of USP and has assisted in the harvesting of data to a project of the Medical Investigation Laboratory 17 (LIM 17), focused on the study of performance in physical activities.

The project in which the student took part is developed in a partnership with the Edge Hill, India’s origin institution, and the Pharmacy School of USP, and is coordinated by Dr. Bryan Saunders, connected to the Rheumatology Department and the LIM 17.

In a partnership with Prof. Lars McNaughton, of the Edge Hill University, Dr. Bryan Saunders, of the Applied Physiology & Nutrition Study Group, coordinates the study in which India took part and of which is part of his current research, that investigates individual answers to supplements used to optimize performance in physical activities.

Aiming to analyze the influence of ingesting sodium bicarbonate in different formats, the study investigates the reaction of this chemical compost in the blood through the ingestion in the format of pills, instead of the already used forms, powdered and gelatinous, in a period of six months. The bicarbonate in the blood is a physiological buffer, meaning, it can elevate the levels of acidity which, in turn, when increased by supplement, can improve the physical performance.

Besides being part of the study, India had the opportunity to complement her studies through the observation of biopsies and muscular ultrasounds, and of interacting and learning with fellow students and professors from FMUSP. “Everyone in the department was so welcoming to me during my stay in Brazil and I’ve had the most amazing time”, said India.

India will make her dissertation next year and, according to her “this was an incredible opportunity for me, not only being able to see how they collected the data, as I’ll be using similar methods and equipment in my research, but being able to do it at such an esteemed university on the other side of the world. It’s something I would never have had the chance to do otherwise”, stated the interchange student.