About - M3 Research Group

The M3 Research Group

This research group is part of the Department of Human Biology at the Faculty of Health Medicine and Life Sciences of Maastricht University. Our research group is specialised in in vivo human metabolic research, and the main fields of interest include skeletal muscle metabolism, exercise metabolism, sports and clinical nutrition, and aging.

Our research aims to increase knowledge that will enable us to define more effective exercise and nutritional interventions to improve health and functional performance in health, disease, and with aging.

Research studies investigate metabolism on a whole-body, tissue, and cellular level, with skeletal muscle as the main tissue of interest. The use of stable isotope methodology has a special interest in this group.

The M3 Research Group

This research group is part of the Department of Human Biology at the Faculty of Health Medicine and Life Sciences of Maastricht University. Our research group is specialised in in vivo human metabolic research, and the main fields of interest include skeletal muscle metabolism, exercise metabolism, sports and clinical nutrition, and aging.

Our research aims to increase knowledge that will enable us to define more effective exercise and nutritional interventions to improve health and functional performance in health, disease, and with aging.

Research studies investigate metabolism on a whole-body, tissue, and cellular level, with skeletal muscle as the main tissue of interest. The use of stable isotope methodology has a special interest in this group.

Research Lines

With our research we specialise in in vivo human metabolic research and this includes the following research lines:

Muscle metabolism

Research in this line aims to elucidate the mechanisms that regulate skeletal muscle substrate selection and the skeletal muscle adaptive response to exercise and physical (in)activity. The integration of carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism in skeletal muscle and the impact of inter-organ cross talk are of key interest.

Age related muscle loss

Research within this line aims to increase our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength, which is largely attributed to a more sedentary lifestyle and the impact of short, successive periods of muscle disuse following illness, falls, fractures, and/or (elective) surgery.

Sports nutrition

Nutrition is prerequisite to optimise performance, accelerate recovery, and facilitate the skeletal muscle adaptive response to exercise. Here, we investigate how nutritional strategies and specific nutritional compounds can optimise exercise performance, accelerate post-exercise recovery, and improve exercise reconditioning.

Clinical nutrition

Here we investigate how nutrition and nutritional compounds can alleviate the loss of muscle quality and quantity which is experienced by many patients due to the disease itself, the treatment, muscle disuse, malnutrition, or an advanced age. Furthermore, we study how nutrition can support subsequent active rehabilitation.

Measurement of substrate metabolism during exercise

Sample analysis at the Stable Isotope Research Centre

Education

We provide education in the areas of exercise sciences, exercise physiology, substrate metabolism, sports and clinical nutrition, and human physiology in general. All staff members as well as PhD students and post-doctoral fellows actively take part in various BSc and MSc programs at the Faculty of Health Medicine and Life Sciences (FHML).

Within the MSc program Human Movement Sciences, our group coordinates the track Sports and Nutrition.

Furthermore, we are also involved in educational activities at the HAN University of Applied Sciences and contribute to or provide post-doctoral courses. See below for an overview of the different programs and courses we are involved in, with links to the program websites where more information is provided on the various courses.