Ulster Sports Academy

Dr Gareth Davison

Biography

Gareth is a Senior Lecturer in the Physiology of Exercise and has worked at the University of Ulster since 2002. He graduated from the University of Ulster with a BA (Hons) in 1996 and with an MSc in 1997. Gareth was awarded his PhD in Physiology and Biochemistry in 2002 and is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine.
Dr Davison has over 90 research publications within the area of Exercise Biochemistry and Medicine, and has published in high impact factors journals such as Free Radical Biology and Medicine, Free Radical Research, Diabetologia, Diabetes, Medicine and Science in Sport andExercise and Clinical Science. He is a Core member of the Sport and Exercise Sciences Research Institute and the current Director of the Exercise Physiology and Biochemistry Research Laboratories at Ulster.
Dr Davison has successfully supervised 7 postgraduate students to completion, and is currently supervisor to 7 full-time PhD students. He has examined 6 postgraduate research degrees at several national (Ireland and UK) and international universities.

Research Interests

Gareth’s research interests include cellular and peripheral free radical production in exercise, health and disease. In particular, he is interested in DNA, lipid and protein oxidation (oxidative stress) and the effects of antioxidant supplementation on gene expression and exercise in diabetes. Gareth is also interested in the metabolomic and proteomic effects of exercise and their relationship to oxidative stress.
Gareth collaborates with many national and international scientists of world-leading research institutes and centres of excellence in order to conduct innovative experimental research regarding the basic mechanisms associated with oxidative stress in health and disease.

Exercise-Induced DNA Modification
Exercise and Lipid Oxidation in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Aging
Effects of Exercise and Nutritional Supplementation on Post Hip Fracture Patients
Effects of Exercise and Lycopene Ingestion on Oxidative Stress, Endothelial Dysfunction and Glucose Metabolism
Effects of Exercise Training on Cardiovascular Disease Risk
The Effects of Exercise Intensity on Oxidative Stress, Gene Expression and Vascular Function.

External Relationships

Journal of Sports Sciences – Nutrition and Biochemistry Section Editor
World Journal of Diabetes – Editorial Board Member
ISRN Nutrition – Editorial Board Member
Grant Reviewer - Heart Research UK, British Heart Foundation, Diabetes UK, Dunhill Medical Trust, Chief Scientist Office – Scottish Government.
Regular Manuscript reviewer for: Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise, Clinical Science, Experimental Physiology, American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, European Journal of Applied Physiology, American Journal of Hypertension, Journal of Physiology, Pharmacological Research, Free Radical Research, Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, British Journal of Sports Medicine, Journal of Food Biochemistry, Obesity, Metabolism, Journal of Sports Science, High Altitude Biology and Medicine, Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, Annals of Human Biology and BMC Public Health.

Teaching Areas

Exercise Physiology
Exercise Metabolism
Exercise Nutrition
Exercise and Health

Recent Publications

Fogarty, MC, Devito, G, Hughes, CM, Burke, G, Brown, JC, McEneny, J, Brown, D, McClean, Conor and Davison, Gareth (2013) Effects of α-Lipoic Acid on Peripheral Mononuclear Cell and Mitochondrial DNA Damage following Isolated Muscle Contractions. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 1 pp, DOI:

Davison, Gareth, Hughes, Ciara and Burke, GA (2013) Acute and chronic watercress supplementation attenuates exercise-induced peripheral mononuclear cell DNA damage and lipid peroxidation. British Journal of Nutrition, 109 . pp. 293-301. [Journal article]

Murphy, Marie, Breslin, Gavin, Trinick, Tom, McClean, Conor, Moore , William, Duly, Ellie and Davison, Gareth (2012) The biochemical, physiological and psychological consequences of a “1,000 miles in 1,000 hours” walking challenge. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 112 . pp. 781-788. [Journal article]

McNeilly, Andrea, McClean, Conor, Murphy, Marie, McEneny, Jane, Trinick, Tom, Burke, George, Duly, Ellie, McLaughlin, James and Davison, Gareth (2012) Exercise training and impaired glucose tolerance in obese humans. Journal of Sports Sciences, 30 (8). pp. 725-732. [Journal article]

McClean, Conor, McNeilly, Andrea, Murphy, Marie, McLaughlin, James, Burke, GA and Davison, G (2012) Exercise Training and Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT): Effects on Oxidative Stress And Arterial Stiffness. In: ACSM Annual Meeting , San Francisco, USA. LWW. Vol 44 (5) 1 pp. [Conference contribution]

Kent, Lisa, O'Neill, Brenda, Davison, Gareth and Bradley, Judy (2012) Cycle Ergometer Tests in Children With Cystic Fibrosis: Reliability and Feasibility. Pediatric Pulmonology, 47 (12). pp. 1226-1234. [Journal article]

Kearney, TM, Murphy, MH, Davison, GW, O'Kane, MJ and Gallagher, AM (2012) Are Improvements in Arterial Stiffness Associated with Moderate Physical Activity in Overweight Adults Modulated by Nitric Oxide? Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 71 . E95. [Journal article]

Kearney, TM, McAleer, Z, Davison, GW and Gallagher, Alison (2012) Evaluation of the Acute Effects of Chocolate Consumption on Smoking-Induced Arterial Stiffness: A Pilot Study. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 71 . E94. [Journal article]

Kearney, T, Murphy, MH, Davison, GW, O'Kane, MJ and Gallagher, AM (2012) Effects of a Single 30 Minute Walk on Peripheral Arterial Stiffness in Overweight Adults. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 71 . E113. [Journal article]

Davison, Gareth, Fogarty, M, Burke, GA, Brown, John and Hughes, Ciara (2012) The Effects of Short and Long Term Watercress Ingestion on Exercise-Induced DNA Damage and Lipid Peroxidation. Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise, 44 (5). S623. [Journal article]

Davison, Gareth, DeVito, G, Hughes, Ciara, McEneny, J, McClean, Conor and Fogarty, M (2012) Effects of α-lipoic acid on DNA damage following isolated muscle contractions. Free Radical Biology & Medicine, 511 (1). S1. [Journal article]

Davison, Gareth (2012) Critical difference applied to exercise-induced oxidative stress: the dilemma of distinguishing biological from statistical change. Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry, 68 . pp. 377-384. [Journal article]

Brugnara, Laura, Vinaixa, Maria, Murillo, Serafin, Samino, Sara, Rodriguez, Miguel Angel, Beltran , Antoni, Lerin, Carles, Davison, Gareth, Correig, Xavier and Novials, Anna (2012) Metabolomics Approach for Analyzing the Effects of Exercise in Subjects with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. Plos ONE8 pp, DOI:

Bleakley, Chris M, McDonough, S M, Gardner, Evie, Baxter , GD, Hopkins , JT and Davison, Gareth (2012) Cold-water immersion (cryotherapy) for preventing and treating muscle soreness after exercise (Review). The Cochrane Library, Issue 2 . pp. 1-64. [Journal article]

McNeilly, Andrea M, Davison, Gareth W, Murphy, Marie H, Nadeem, Nida, Trinick, Tom, Duly, Ellie, Novials, Anna and McEneny, Jane (2011) Effect of alpha lipoic acid and exercise training on cardiovascular disease risk in obesity with impaired glucose tolerance. Lipids in Health and Disease , 10 (1). pp. 217-226. [Journal article]

McClean, Conor, Clegg, Miriam, Shafat, Amir, Murphy, Marie, Trinick, Tom, Duly, Ellie, McLaughlin, JAD, Fogarty, Mark and Davison, Gareth (2011) The impact of acute moderate intensity exercise on arterial regional stiffness, lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant status in healthy males. Research in Sports Medicine, 19 (1). pp. 1-13. [Journal article]

Markey, Oonagh, McClean, Conor, Medlow, Paul, Davison, Gareth, Trinick, Tom, Duly, Ellie and Shafat, Amir (2011) Effect of cinnamon on gastric emptying, arterial stiffness, postprandial lipemia, glycemia, and appetite responses to high-fat breakfast. Cardiovascular Diabetology, 10 (1). [Journal article]

Kearney, TM, Gallagher, AM, Davison, GW and O'Kane, MJ (2011) Weekly Versus Monthly Counselling to Encourage Brisk Walking in Overweight Sedentary Individuals: Effects on Fitness. Obesity Reviews, T1 . P034. [Journal article]

Fogarty, Mark, Hughes, Ciara, Burke, George, Brown, John, Trinick, Tom, Duly, Ellie, Bailey, Damian and Davison, Gareth (2011) Exercise-Induced Lipid Peroxidation: Implications for Deoxyribonucleic Acid Damage and Systemic Free Radical Generation. Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis, 52 (1). pp. 35-42. [Journal article]

Millar, L, McGreevy, A, Murphy, B, Davison, G, Brown, R and O'Donnell, R (2010) The Effect of Sporting Events on Emergency Department Attendance Rates in a District General Hospital in Northern Ireland. International Journal of Clinical Practice, 64 (11). pp. 1563-1569. [Journal article]

McClean, Conor and Davison, Gareth (2010) Gastrointestinal transit, post-prandial lipaemia and satiety following 3 days high-fat diet in men. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 65 (2). p. 240. [Journal article]

Kent, L, O'Neill, B, Murray, J, Reid, A, Davison, GW, Nevill, A, Elborn, JS and Bradley, JM (2010) Reliability of Cycle Ergometer Tests and the LifeShirt in Children with CF. Journal of Cystic Fibrosis, 9 (1). S67. [Journal article]

Kearney, TM, Gallagher, AM, Murphy, MH, Davison, Gareth and O'Kane, MJ (2010) The Effects of Accumulated Brisk Walking on Arterial Stiffness in Overweight Adults and the Level of Support Required to Sustain Adherence. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 69 . E360. [Journal article]

Davison, Gareth (2010) Exercise and Oxidative Stress in Health and Disease. Lambert Academic Publishing. 292 pp ISBN 9783843357838 [Book (authored)]

Bleakley, Chris M and Davison, Gareth W (2010) What is the biochemical and physiological rationale for using Cold Water Immersion in Sports Recovery? A Systematic Review. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 44 (3). pp. 179-187. [Journal article]

Bleakley, C, McDonough, Suzanne, Gardner, Evie, Hopkins, J. Ty, Glasgow, Philip and Davison, Gareth W (2010) Cold-water immersion (cryotherapy) for preventing and treating muscle soreness after exercise. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews . DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD008262. , Issue 1. (No: CD008262). [Journal article]

Bleakley, C M and Davison, Gareth (2010) Management of acute soft tissue injury using Protection Rest Ice Compression and Elevation: Recommendations from the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Sports and Exercise Medicine (ACPSM) [Executive Summary]. Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Sports and Exercise Medicine, Executive Summary . pp. 1-24. [Journal article]

Bleakley, C M and Davison, Gareth W (2010) Cryotherapy and inflammation: evidence beyond the cardinal signs. Physical Therapy Reviews, 15 (6). pp. 430-435. [Journal article]

McClean, Conor, Murphy, Marie and Davison, Gareth (2009) Acute Exercise and Impaired Glucose Tolerance: Effects on Glycaemic Control, Oxidative Stress, and Arterial Stiffness. In: American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, Seattle. UNSPECIFIED. 1 pp. [Conference contribution]

McClean, Conor, McNeilly, Andrea, Trinick, Tom, R., Murphy, Marie, Duly, Ellie, McLaughlin, James, McEneny, Jane, Burke, George and Davison, Gareth (2009) Acute exercise and impaired glucose tolerance in obese humans. Journal of Clinical Lipidology, 3 (4). pp. 262-268. [Journal article]

Kent, Lisa, O'Neill, Brenda, Davison, Gareth, Nevill, Alan, Elborn, J Stuart and Bradley, Judy (2009) Validity and reliability of cardiorespiratory measurements recorded by the LifeShirt during exercise tests. Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology, 167 (2). pp. 162-167. [Journal article]

Fogarty, M, Hughes, Ciara, Burke, GA, Brown, John, Trinick, TR, Duley, E, Bailey, DM and Davison, Gareth (2009) Intracellular DNA oxidation by systemic oxygen-centred free radicals following incremental exercise. Journal of Sports Science, 26 . S4. [Journal article]

McAree, Barry, O'Donnell, Mark, Davison, Gareth, Boyd, Christopher, Lee, Bernard and Soong, Chee (2008) Bilateral popliteal artery occlusion in a competitive bike rider: case report and clinical review. Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, 42 (4). pp. 380-385. [Journal article]

Kent, L, Bradley, JM, O'Neill, B, Davison, GW, Nevill, AM, Derchak, PA and Elborn, JS (2008) Validity and Reliability of Ventilation Measured by the Lifeshirt: A Potential Outcome Measure for Clinical Trials. Thorax, 63 (Suppliment 7). A126-A127. [Journal article]

Davison, Gareth, McClean, Conor, Brown, John, Madigan , Sharon, Gamble, Declan, Trinick, Tom and Duly, Ellie (2008) The effects of ingesting a carbohydrate electrolyte berverage 15 minutes prior to high intensity exercise performance. Research in Sports Medicine, 16 . pp. 155-166. [Journal article]

Davison, Gareth, Ashton, Tony, Davies, Bruce and Bailey, Damian (2008) In vitro electron paramagnetic resonance characterization of free radicals: relevance to exercise-induced lipid peroxidation and implications of ascorbate prophylaxis. Free Radical Research, 42 . pp. 379-386. [Journal article]

Davison, Gareth, Ashton , Tony, George, Lindsay, Young, Ian, Davies, Bruce, Jackson, Simon, Peters, John and Bailey, Damian (2008) Molecular detection of exercise-induced free radicals following ascorbate prophylaxis in type 1 diabetes mellitus:a randomised controlled trial. Diabetologia, 51 . pp. 2049-2059. [Journal article]

Davis, Gillian, Murphy, Marie, Trinick, Tom, Duly, Ellie, Nevill, Alan and Davison, Gareth (2008) Acute effects of walking on inflammatory and cardiovascular risk in sedentary post-menopausal women. Journal of Sports Sciences, 26 (3). pp. 303-309. [Journal article]

McClean, Conor, McLaughlin, JAD, Burke, GA, Murphy, Marie, Trinick, Tom, Duly, Ellie and Davison, Gareth (2007) The effect of acute aerobic exercise on pulse wave velocity and oxidative stress following postprandial hypertriglyceridemia in healthy men. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 100 . pp. 225-234. [Journal article]

Fogarty, M, Hughes, Ciara, Brown, John and Davison, Gareth (2007) Acute Exercise of Increasing Intensity Causes Single Strand Breaks in Mononuclear Cell DNA as Measured by the Comet Assay. Mutagenesis, 22 (6). p. 9. [Journal article]

Clegg, Miriam, McClean, Conor, Davison, Gareth, Murphy, Marie, Trinick, Tom, Duly, Ellie, McLaughlin, JAD, Fogarty, Mark and Shafat, Amir (2007) Exercise and postprandial lipaemia: effects on peripheral vascular function, oxidative stress and gastrointestinal transit. Lipids in Health and Disease, 6 . [Journal article]

Davison, Gareth, Morgan, Rhian, Hiscock, Natalie, Garcia, John, Grace, Fergal, Boisseau, Natalie, Davies, Bruce, Castell, Linda, Young , Ian, Hullin, David, Ashton, Tony and Bailey, Damian (2006) Manipulation of Systemic Oxygen Flux by Acute Exercise and Normobaric Hypoxia: Implications For Reactive Oxygen Species Generation. Clinical Science, 110 (1). pp. 133-141. [Journal article]

Murtagh, Elaine, Boreham, Colin, Nevill, Alan, Davison, Gareth, Trinick, Tom, Duly, Ellie and Murphy, Marie (2005) Acute responses of inflammatory markers of cardiovascular disease risk to a single walking session. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 3 . pp. 324-332. [Journal article]

Davison, Gareth, Hughes, Ciara and Bell, Richard (2005) Exercise and Mononuclear Cell DNA Damage: The Effects of Antioxidant Supplementation. International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism , 15 . pp. 480-492. [Journal article]

Davison, Gareth, Hughes, Ciara and Ashton, Tony (2005) Exercise and the Musculoskeletal System. In: Exercise Therapy:In the Prevention and Treatment of Disease. Blackwell Publishing, pp. 37-56. ISBN 101405105275 [Book section]

Davis, Jillian, Murphy, Marie, Davison, Gareth and Nevill, Alan (2004) Acute effects of walking on plasma fibrinogen in sedentary post-menopausal women. In: European College of Sports Sciences, Clermont-Ferrand, France. ECSS. 1 pp. [Conference contribution]

Bailey, Damian, Davies, Bruce, Young, Ian, Jackson, Malcolm, Davison, Gareth, Isaacson, R and Richardson, Russell (2003) EPR Spectroscopic Evidence of Free Radical Outflow From an Isolated Muscle Bed in Exercising Humans: Functional Significance of Decreasing Intracellular PO2 vs. Increasing O2 Flux. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 540 . pp. 297-303. [Journal article]

Bailey, Damian, Davies, Bruce, Young, Ian, Jackson, Malcolm, Davison, Gareth, Isaacson, R and Richardson, Russell (2003) EPR Spectroscopic Detection of Free Radical Outflow From an Isolated Muscle Bed in Exercising Humans. Journal of Applied Physiology, 95 (5). pp. 1714-1718. [Journal article]

Ashton, Tony, Young, Ian, Davison, Gareth, Rowlands, Chris, Peters, John, Jones, Eleri and Jackson, Simon (2003) Exercise-Induced Endotoxemia: The Effect of Ascorbic Acid Supplementation. Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 35 (3). pp. 284-291. [Journal article]

Davison, Gareth, George, Lindsey, Jackson, Simon, Davies, Bruce, Young, Ian, Peters, John, Bailey, Damian and Ashton, Tony (2002) Exercise, Free Radicals, and Lipid Peroxidation in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 33 (11). pp. 1543-1551. [Journal article]