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Dr Sinead McDonagh

Research Fellow

2758

+44 (0) 1392 722758

Smeall building 110

Smeall Building, University of Exeter, St Luke's Campus, Heavitree Road, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK

Overview

Sinead completed her BSc in Sport Sciences at Brunel University in 2011. She then moved to the University of Exeter to study for a MSc in Sport and Exercise Medicine.

During her time as a Masters student, Sinead became very interested in the effects of dietary nitrate supplementation and lifestyle choices on cardiovascular health and exercise tolerance and went on to pursue a PhD in this area.

In 2017, Sinead joined the University of Exeter Medical School Primary Care department as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow where her research focuses on the detection and management of postural hypotension and hypertension in primary care.

Qualifications

BSc Sport Sciences (Brunel University)
MSc Sport and Exercise Medicine (University of Exeter)
PhD Exercise Physiology and Nutrition (University of Exeter)
AFHEA

Research

Research interests

Recognition and management of postural hypotension in primary care
Improving blood pressure control in patients with hypertension
Significance and implications of a difference in blood pressures between arms
Lowering blood pressure and improving exercise capacity through dietary nitrate supplementation
Cardiovascular Physiology
Nitrite and Nitric Oxide Biology

Research projects

DROP: Detecting risks of postural hypotension

Cochrane Review: Allied health professional-led interventions for improving control of blood pressure in patients with hypertension

INTERPRESS-IPD: The inter-arm blood pressure difference individual patient data collaborations

REACH-HF: Rehabilitation Enablement in Chronic Heart Failure

Conferences

McDonagh STJ, Mejzner N, Clark, CE. (2018). Prevalence of postural hypotension in primary, community and institutional care: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Poster presentation at the British and Irish Hypertension Society Conference.

Clark CE, Smith LFP, Cloutier L, Konya J, Todkar SK, McDonagh STJ, Clark OM, Glynn LG, Taylor RS, Campbell J. (2018). Interventions to improve control of hypertension; what works (and what doesn’t)? Poster presentation at the British and Irish Hypertension Society Conference.

Clark CE, McDonagh STJ, McManus RJ. (2018) Accuracy of automated blood pressure measurements in the presence of atrial fibrillation: systematic review and meta-analysis. Poster presentation at the British and Irish Hypertension Society Conference.

McDonaghSTJ, Mejzner N, Clark CE. Prevalence of postural hypotension in primary, community and institutional care: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Oral presentation at the 2018 Society for Academic Primary Care Conference.

McDonagh STJ, Vanhatalo A, Fulford J, Wylie LJ, Bailey SJ, Jones AM. (2015). Effects of blood donation and nitrate ingestion on the physiological response to moderate-intensity and incremental exercise. Oral presentation at the 2015 Physiological Society Conference.

McDonagh STJ, Wylie LJ, Winyard PG, Vanhatalo A, Jones AM (2014). Antibacterial mouthwash attenuates the physiological effects of chronic nitrate supplementation in humans. Mini Oral presentation at the 2014 ECSS Annual Conference.

McDonagh STJ, Wylie LJ, Winyard PG, Vanhatalo A, Jones AM (2014). Antibacterial mouthwash attenuates the physiological effects of chronic nitrate supplementation in humans. Oral presentation at the 2014 GSSI Nutrition Award ECSS Annual Conference.

McDonagh STJ, Wylie LJ, Winyard PG, Vanhatalo A, Jones AM (2014). Antibacterial mouthwash attenuates the physiological effects of chronic nitrate supplementation in humans. Oral presentation at the 2014 BASES Student Conference.

Academic Awards

Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) Nutrition Award winner at the European College of Sport Sciences (ECSS) Conference 2015, Malmö. ‘Effects of blood donation and nitrate ingestion on the physiological response to moderate-intensity and incremental exercise’.

Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) Nutrition Award Finalist at the European College of Sport Sciences (ECSS) Conference 2014, Amsterdam. ‘Antibacterial mouthwash attenuates the physiological effects of chronic nitrate supplementation in humans’.

Recipient of the 2010-2011 Brunel University Best Undergraduate Dissertation Award for thesis entitled “Effects of Short Term Plyometric Training on Bone Mineral Density, Bone Mineral Content and Body Composition of Males in Non-Weight Bearing Sports’.

Recipient of the 2010-2011 Physiological Society Undergraduate Dissertation Award.

Recipient of the 2010-2011 Ede & Ravenscroft Undergraduate Dissertation Prize.

Publications

Key publications | Publications by category | Publications by year

Key publications

McDonagh STJ, Wylie LJ, Morgan P, Vanhatalo A, Jones A (In Press). A randomised controlled trial exploring the effects of different beverages consumed alongside a nitrate-rich meal on systemic blood pressure. Nutrition and Health

McDonagh STJ, Wylie LJ, Webster JMA, Vanhatalo A, Jones AM (In Press). Influence of dietary nitrate food forms on nitrate metabolism and blood pressure in healthy normotensive adults. Nitric Oxide, 72, 66-74. Abstract. Author URL.

Clark IE, Goulding RP, DiMenna FJ, Bailey SJ, Jones MI, Fulford J, McDonagh STJ, Jones AM, Vanhatalo A (2019). Time-trial performance is not impaired in either competitive athletes or untrained individuals following a prolonged cognitive task. Eur J Appl Physiol, 119(1), 149-161. Abstract. Author URL.

McDonagh STJ, Vanhatalo A, Fulford J, Wylie LJ, Bailey SJ, Jones AM (2016). Dietary nitrate supplementation attenuates the reduction in exercise tolerance following blood donation. American Journal of Physiology - Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 311(6), H1520-H1529. Abstract. Full text.

McDonagh STJ, Wylie LJ, Winyard PG, Vanhatalo A, Jones AM (2015). The Effects of Chronic Nitrate Supplementation and the Use of Strong and Weak Antibacterial Agents on Plasma Nitrite Concentration and Exercise Blood Pressure. Int J Sports Med, 36(14), 1177-1185. Abstract. Author URL.

Publications by category

Journal articles

McDonagh STJ, Wylie LJ, Thompson C, Vanhatalo A, Jones AM (2019). Potential benefits of dietary nitrate ingestion in healthy and clinical populations: a brief review. Eur J Sport Sci, 19(1), 15-29. Abstract. Author URL.

Thompson C, Wylie LJ, Blackwell JR, Fulford J, Black MI, Kelly J, McDonagh STJ, Carter J, Bailey SJ, Vanhatalo A, et al (2017). Influence of dietary nitrate supplementation on physiological and muscle metabolic adaptations to sprint interval training. J Appl Physiol (1985), 122(3), 642-652.

We hypothesized that 4 wk of dietary nitrate supplementation would enhance exercise performance and muscle metabolic adaptations to sprint interval training (SIT). Thirty-six recreationally active subjects, matched on key variables at baseline, completed a series of exercise tests before and following a 4-wk period in which they were allocated to one of the following groups: 1) SIT and [Formula: see text]-depleted beetroot juice as a placebo (SIT+PL); 2) SIT and [Formula: see text]-rich beetroot juice (~13 mmol [Formula: see text]/day; SIT+BR); or 3) no training and [Formula: see text]-rich beetroot juice (NT+BR). During moderate-intensity exercise, pulmonary oxygen uptake was reduced by 4% following 4 wk of SIT+BR and NT+BR (P < 0.05) but not SIT+PL. The peak work rate attained during incremental exercise increased more in SIT+BR than in SIT+PL (P < 0.05) or NT+BR (P < 0.001). The reduction in muscle and blood [lactate] and the increase in muscle pH from preintervention to postintervention were greater at 3 min of severe-intensity exercise in SIT+BR compared with SIT+PL and NT+BR (P < 0.05). However, the change in severe-intensity exercise performance was not different between SIT+BR and SIT+PL (P > 0.05). The relative proportion of type IIx muscle fibers in the vastus lateralis muscle was reduced in SIT+BR only (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that BR supplementation may enhance some aspects of the physiological adaptations to SIT.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We investigated the influence of nitrate-rich and nitrate-depleted beetroot juice on the muscle metabolic and physiological adaptations to 4 wk of sprint interval training. Compared with placebo, dietary nitrate supplementation reduced the O2 cost of submaximal exercise, resulted in greater improvement in incremental (but not severe-intensity) exercise performance, and augmented some muscle metabolic adaptations to training. Nitrate supplementation may facilitate some of the physiological responses to sprint interval training.

Abstract. Author URL.

Black MI, Jones AM, Blackwell JR, Bailey SJ, Wylie LJ, McDonagh STJ, Thompson C, Kelly J, Sumners P, Mileva KN, et al (2017). Muscle metabolic and neuromuscular determinants of fatigue during cycling in different exercise intensity domains. J Appl Physiol (1985), 122(3), 446-459.

Lactate or gas exchange threshold (GET) and critical power (CP) are closely associated with human exercise performance. We tested the hypothesis that the limit of tolerance (Tlim) during cycle exercise performed within the exercise intensity domains demarcated by GET and CP is linked to discrete muscle metabolic and neuromuscular responses. Eleven men performed a ramp incremental exercise test, 4-5 severe-intensity (SEV; >CP) constant-work-rate (CWR) tests until Tlim, a heavy-intensity (HVY; GET) CWR test until Tlim, and a moderate-intensity (MOD;. 0.05) muscle metabolic milieu (i.e. low pH and [PCr] and high [lactate]) was attained at Tlim (approximately 2-14 min) for all SEV exercise bouts. The muscle metabolic perturbation was greater at Tlim following SEV compared with HVY, and also following SEV and HVY compared with MOD (all P < 0.05). The normalized M-wave amplitude for the vastus lateralis (VL) muscle decreased to a similar extent following SEV (-38 ± 15%), HVY (-68 ± 24%), and MOD (-53 ± 29%), (P > 0.05). Neural drive to the VL increased during SEV (4 ± 4%; P < 0.05) but did not change during HVY or MOD (P > 0.05). During SEV and HVY, but not MOD, the rates of change in M-wave amplitude and neural drive were correlated with changes in muscle metabolic ([PCr], [lactate]) and blood ionic/acid-base status ([lactate], [K+]) (P < 0.05). The results of this study indicate that the metabolic and neuromuscular determinants of fatigue development differ according to the intensity domain in which the exercise is performed.NEW & NOTEWORTHY the gas exchange threshold and the critical power demarcate discrete exercise intensity domains. For the first time, we show that the limit of tolerance during whole-body exercise within these domains is characterized by distinct metabolic and neuromuscular responses. Fatigue development during exercise greater than critical power is associated with the attainment of consistent "limiting" values of muscle metabolites, whereas substrate availability and limitations to muscle activation may constrain performance at lower intensities.

Abstract. Author URL. Full text.

Thompson C, Wylie LJ, Fulford J, Kelly J, Black MI, McDonagh STJ, Jeukendrup AE, Vanhatalo A, Jones AM (2015). Dietary nitrate improves sprint performance and cognitive function during prolonged intermittent exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol, 115(9), 1825-1834. Abstract. Author URL. Full text.

Publications by year

In Press

2019

2018

McDonagh STJ (2018). Factors influencing the effects of dietary nitrate supplementation on nitric oxide biomarkers and blood pressure.

Ingestion of nitrate (NO3-) from natural sources can improve indices of cardiovascular health and exercise tolerance. The aim of this thesis was to determine the impact of dietary NO3- as a therapeutic aid when consumed amongst factors that might affect its efficacy such as antibacterial mouthwash, blood donation, different food forms and co-ingestion with alcoholic beverages. Young, healthy, normotensive individuals volunteered to participate in each experiment and undergo an array of physiological assessments. Chapter 4: Mouth rinsing with chlorhexidine and non-chlorhexidine mouthwash prior to consumption of concentrated NO3--rich beetroot juice (BR), over 6 days, blunted the rise in plasma nitrite concentration ([NO2-]) by 53 % and 29 % respectively, compared with control. Chlorhexidine mouthwash also elevated systolic (SBP) and mean arterial (MAP) blood pressure (BP) during treadmill walking. Chapter 5: Short-term BR ingestion lowered the oxygen (O2) cost of moderate-intensity exercise (by ~ 4 %), better preserved muscle oxygenation and attenuated the decline in incremental exercise tolerance (by 5 %) following whole blood donation. Chapter 6: an array of different NO3--rich vehicles, including BR, beetroot flapjack (BF), non-concentrated beetroot juice (BL) and beetroot crystals (BC), elevated salivary, plasma and urinary NO3- concentration ([NO3-]) and [NO2-] when compared with baseline and control, with the largest increases in plasma [NO2-] occurring in BF and BR. BR also reduced SBP (~5 mmHg) and MAP (~ 3-4 mmHg), and BF reduced diastolic BP (DBP; ~ 4 mmHg). Chapter 7: a high NO3- salad, accompanied by polyphenol-rich (NIT-RW) and -low (NIT-A) alcoholic beverages and a water control (NIT-CON) elevated salivary, plasma and urinary [NO3-] and [NO2-] compared with control (CON). SBP was reduced 2 h post consumption of NIT-RW (-4 mmHg), NIT-A (-3 mmHg) and NIT-CON (-2 mmHg) compared with CON. DBP and MAP were also lower in NIT-A, and more so in NIT-RW, compared with NIT-CON.
Overall, the findings in this thesis demonstrate the efficacy of naturally derived NO3- on NO metabolites, BP and exercise tolerance. The potential for such benefits to arise may be maximised if antibacterial mouthwash is avoided during supplementation and if NO3- is consumed as BR, BF or as a green leafy salad with or without an alcoholic beverage. It may also be suggested that NO3- ingestion can offset decrements in exercise tolerance following blood donation.

Abstract. Full text.

2017

Abstract. Author URL.

Abstract. Author URL. Full text.

2016

2015

Refresh publications

Teaching

Sinead has an interest in physiology and has had the opportunity to teach and provide feedback to students on a number of different undergraduate physiology modules over 4 years (see below). She has also conducted individual and group workshops for students aiming to improve their writing skills and understanding of basic chemistry and biology.

ESS1502 Sports Training Physiology
ESS1703 Bioenergetics
ESS1005 Foundations of Exercise Physiology
ESS1007 Human Physiology
ESS1506 Foundations of Sports Nutrition
ESS2001 Exercise Physiology
ESS2502 Exercise Programming
ESS3302 Dissertation

Supervision / Group

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Dr Sinead McDonagh

Research Fellow

Overview

Qualifications

Research

Research interests

Research projects

Conferences

Academic Awards

Publications

Key publications

Abstract:Influence of dietary nitrate food forms on nitrate metabolism and blood pressure in healthy normotensive adults.

Abstract:Time-trial performance is not impaired in either competitive athletes or untrained individuals following a prolonged cognitive task.

Abstract:Dietary nitrate supplementation attenuates the reduction in exercise tolerance following blood donation

Abstract:The Effects of Chronic Nitrate Supplementation and the Use of Strong and Weak Antibacterial Agents on Plasma Nitrite Concentration and Exercise Blood Pressure.

Publications by category

Journal articles

Abstract:Influence of dietary nitrate food forms on nitrate metabolism and blood pressure in healthy normotensive adults.

Abstract:Potential benefits of dietary nitrate ingestion in healthy and clinical populations: a brief review.

Abstract:Time-trial performance is not impaired in either competitive athletes or untrained individuals following a prolonged cognitive task.

Abstract:Influence of dietary nitrate supplementation on physiological and muscle metabolic adaptations to sprint interval training.

Abstract:Muscle metabolic and neuromuscular determinants of fatigue during cycling in different exercise intensity domains.

Abstract:Dietary nitrate supplementation attenuates the reduction in exercise tolerance following blood donation

Abstract:Dietary nitrate improves sprint performance and cognitive function during prolonged intermittent exercise.

Abstract:The Effects of Chronic Nitrate Supplementation and the Use of Strong and Weak Antibacterial Agents on Plasma Nitrite Concentration and Exercise Blood Pressure.

Publications by year

In Press

Abstract:Influence of dietary nitrate food forms on nitrate metabolism and blood pressure in healthy normotensive adults.

2019

Abstract:Potential benefits of dietary nitrate ingestion in healthy and clinical populations: a brief review.

Abstract:Time-trial performance is not impaired in either competitive athletes or untrained individuals following a prolonged cognitive task.

2018

Abstract:Factors influencing the effects of dietary nitrate supplementation on nitric oxide biomarkers and blood pressure

2017

Abstract:Influence of dietary nitrate supplementation on physiological and muscle metabolic adaptations to sprint interval training.

Abstract:Muscle metabolic and neuromuscular determinants of fatigue during cycling in different exercise intensity domains.

2016

Abstract:Dietary nitrate supplementation attenuates the reduction in exercise tolerance following blood donation

2015

Abstract:Dietary nitrate improves sprint performance and cognitive function during prolonged intermittent exercise.

Abstract:The Effects of Chronic Nitrate Supplementation and the Use of Strong and Weak Antibacterial Agents on Plasma Nitrite Concentration and Exercise Blood Pressure.

Teaching

Supervision / Group

Abstract:
Influence of dietary nitrate food forms on nitrate metabolism and blood pressure in healthy normotensive adults.

Abstract:
Time-trial performance is not impaired in either competitive athletes or untrained individuals following a prolonged cognitive task.

Abstract:
Dietary nitrate supplementation attenuates the reduction in exercise tolerance following blood donation

Abstract:
The Effects of Chronic Nitrate Supplementation and the Use of Strong and Weak Antibacterial Agents on Plasma Nitrite Concentration and Exercise Blood Pressure.

Abstract:
Influence of dietary nitrate food forms on nitrate metabolism and blood pressure in healthy normotensive adults.

Abstract:
Potential benefits of dietary nitrate ingestion in healthy and clinical populations: a brief review.

Abstract:
Time-trial performance is not impaired in either competitive athletes or untrained individuals following a prolonged cognitive task.

Abstract:
Influence of dietary nitrate supplementation on physiological and muscle metabolic adaptations to sprint interval training.

Abstract:
Muscle metabolic and neuromuscular determinants of fatigue during cycling in different exercise intensity domains.

Abstract:
Dietary nitrate supplementation attenuates the reduction in exercise tolerance following blood donation

Abstract:
Dietary nitrate improves sprint performance and cognitive function during prolonged intermittent exercise.

Abstract:
The Effects of Chronic Nitrate Supplementation and the Use of Strong and Weak Antibacterial Agents on Plasma Nitrite Concentration and Exercise Blood Pressure.

Abstract:
Influence of dietary nitrate food forms on nitrate metabolism and blood pressure in healthy normotensive adults.

Abstract:
Potential benefits of dietary nitrate ingestion in healthy and clinical populations: a brief review.

Abstract:
Time-trial performance is not impaired in either competitive athletes or untrained individuals following a prolonged cognitive task.

Abstract:
Factors influencing the effects of dietary nitrate supplementation on nitric oxide biomarkers and blood pressure

Abstract:
Influence of dietary nitrate supplementation on physiological and muscle metabolic adaptations to sprint interval training.

Abstract:
Muscle metabolic and neuromuscular determinants of fatigue during cycling in different exercise intensity domains.

Abstract:
Dietary nitrate supplementation attenuates the reduction in exercise tolerance following blood donation

Abstract:
Dietary nitrate improves sprint performance and cognitive function during prolonged intermittent exercise.

Abstract:
The Effects of Chronic Nitrate Supplementation and the Use of Strong and Weak Antibacterial Agents on Plasma Nitrite Concentration and Exercise Blood Pressure.