Dr Alannah McKay
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Centre for Human Performance & Metabolism
Areas of expertise: sports nutrition; iron metabolism; iron deficiency; female athlete; exercise physiology
HDR Supervisor accreditation status: Full
ORCID ID: 0000-0002-4184-3886
Email: alannah.mckay@acu.edu.au
Location: ACU Melbourne Campus
Alannah McKay completed a Bachelor of Science (Exercise, Health and Sports Science) at the University of Western Australia in 2014. Subsequently, Alannah completed a post-graduate position within the Physiology department at the Australian Institute of Sport, where she was involved in the preparation of many Australian athletes prior to the 2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic games. Alannah went on to complete her PhD, which was undertaken in partnership with the Australian Institute of Sport, Western Australian Institute of Sport and the University of Western Australia and was awarded the Dean’s List honour. Alannah joined Australian Catholic University as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in 2020. Her research has continued to explore the impact of diet and exercise on a range of health outcomes in athletes, with a specific interest in iron metabolism and female physiology.
Select publications
- McKay AKA, Minahan C, Harris R, McCormick R, Skinner J, Ackerman KE, Burke LB. Female Athlete Research Camp: A unique model for conducting research in high performance female athletes. Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise. 2024;56(4):706-716.
- McKay AKA, Anderson B, Peeling P, Whitfield J, Tee N, Zeder C, Zimmermann M, Burke LM, Moretti D. Iron absorption in highly-trained male runners: Does it matter when and where you eat your iron? Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise. 2024;56(1):118-127.
- McKay AKA, Stellingwerff T, Smith E, Martin DT, Mujika I, Goosey-Tolfrey VL, Sheppard J, Burke LM. Defining training and performance calibre: A participant classification framework. International Journal of Sport Physiology and Performance. 2022;17(2):317-331
- Peeling P, Sim M, McKay AKA. Considerations for the consumption of vitamin and mineral supplements in athlete populations. Sports Medicine. 2023; 53(Suppl 1), 15-24.
- Smith E, McKay AKA, Ackerman KE, Harris R, Elliott-Sale K, Stellingwerff T, Burke LM. Methodology review: Auditing the representation of female athletes in sports science research. International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2022;17(2):317-331.
- McKay AKA, Peeling P, Pyne DB, Tee N, Whitfield J, Sharma AP, Heikura IA, Burke LM. Low carbohydrate availability, not energy availability, alters the iron and immune response to exercise in athletes, Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise. 2022;54(3):377-387.
- Sim M, Garvican-Lewis LA, Cox GR, Govus A, McKay AKA, Stellingwerff T, Peeling P. Iron considerations for the athlete: A narrative review. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2019; 119(7), 1463-1478.
- McKay AKA, Peeling P, Pyne DB, Welvaert M, Tee N, Leckey JJ, Sharam AP, Ross MLR, Garvican-Lewis LA, Swinkels DW, Laarakkers CM, Burke LM. Chronic adherence to a ketogenic diet modifies iron metabolism in elite athletes. Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise 2019; 51(3) 548-555.
Current Projects
- Female Athlete Research Camp 2.0. Funded by the Australian Institute of Sport and the Female Athlete Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, in collaboration with Water Polo Australia.
- “Oarsome” Energy. Funded by the Female Athlete Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, in collaboration with Canadian Sport Institute Pacific, Rowing Canada and USA Rowing.
- Strike while the iron is hot: Revolutionising iron deficiency detection to elevate athlete health performance and health ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Funded by the Quantum 2032 Challenge, Department of Environment, Science and Innovation, Queensland Government.
- Iron balance in humans living at high altitude and athletes: defining requirements and optimal biomarker thresholds using a novel body iron labelling technique based on stable iron isotopes. Funded by Swiss National Science Foundation.
- Unravelling the energy issues underpinning Low Energy Availability in high performance athletes. Funded by the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance at Stanford University and the Female Athlete Program at Boston Children’s Hospital
- Effects of Mitopure (Urolithin A) on skeletal muscle function, iron regulation and endurance performance . Funded by Amazentis, Switzerland.
Accolades and awards
- American College of Sports Medicine’s New Investigator Award - 2023.
- Dean’s List, PhD Thesis, University of Western Australia – 2020
- Gastroage Sport Science Institute & American College of Sports Medicine’s Young Investigator in Sports Nutrition Award, 1st Place – 2020
- American College of Sports Medicine Nutrition Interest Group Student Award – 1st Place 2019
- American College of Sports Medicine International Student Award – 2019
- European College of Sport Science & the Gatorade Sports Science Institute Travel Award – 2019
- Frank Pyke Scholarship Recipient, 2016
Other roles
- International Journal for Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism Editorial Board
- Research Reference Group, Female Performance and Health Initiative at the Australian Institute of Sport
Public engagement
