Ann-Katrin Grotle

Field of work

Academic Background and Research Interests

I have broad research interests within integrative physiology, with particular emphasis on cardiovascular regulation and exercise physiology. I teach at bachelor and masterlevel including topics such as exercise physiology, sports nutrition, exercise medicine, physical activity and health, and research methods.

A central perspective in my current research is women’s health, with the aim of strengthening the knowledge base on sex-specific physiological mechanisms and developing targeted strategies to improve health and performance.

Research interests: 

• Autonomic control of circulation during physical activity

• Cardiovascular consequences of menopause, physical inactivity, and chronic diseases

• Exercise as medicine: preventive and therapeutic effects of physical activity and exercise

• Women’s health in an interdisciplinary perspective

• Alternative strategies for health promotion, including nutritional interventions as well as heat and cold therapies (e.g., sauna and cold-water immersion)

Sports Background

I have extensive experience in football, both as a player and as a coach at a high level. During my master’s studies, I contributed to research and development projects related to injury prevention and the enhancement of physical capacity among elite athletes in both women’s and men’s football.

Leadership Roles and Research Groups

I lead the research group Sports, Health and Function and the Human Health and Performance Laboratory at HVL. The group and the lab are part of an interdisciplinary research environment spanning three faculties. In addition, I am the meeting place leader for the new initiative under Idrettsklynge Vest called “Kvinnelaget”.

🔗 Research Group Website: HVL Research

📷 Lab Instagram: @hvl.performancelab

Education and Academic Background

• Bachelor in Exercise Science, Department of Kinesiology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, USA

• Master in Exercise Science, Department of Kinesiology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, USA

• PhD in Exercise Physiology, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, The University of Texas at Austin, USA

• Postdoctoral Fellow, Human Neural Cardiovascular Control Laboratory, The University of Texas at Arlington, USA

Research Projects (Principal Investigator)

• BEETBOOST: Beetroot juice – a natural boost for cardiovascular health in postmenopausal women?

• REACT Study Bergen: Cardiovascular reactivity to physical stress – strategies and mechanisms

Media Coverage

• Bergens Tidende: Is cold water immersion and sauna actually beneficial?

• Faktisk.no: Cold water immersion – miracle cure or myth?

• Forskning.no: Can it be dangerous to push oneself to sit in a sauna for too long?

• Khrono.no: In four-degree water – Martin has volunteered for research

• HVL.no: Researching the effects of sauna and cold water immersion

• Forskning.no: Public health is threatened by pseudoscience – we must rethink what children learn in school

📩 Feel free to contact me if you are interested in collaboration!

• Sports, Health, and Function (primary)

• Sports and Health Psychology (secondary)

• DiaBEST (tertiary)