Measuring Plasma in Plymouth State Students

Alexander Francione

For The Clock

arfrancione@plymouth.edu

Exercise physiology is a continuously growing field, setting out to study the human body and how it reacts to different exercises and stimuli in an effort to optimize the human body and prevent various injuries and diseases. Four Plymouth State University students are helping contribute to the vast amount of studies related to the human body. Jamilia Almonte, Charlotte Lemgart, Briana Lumbert, and Jessica Turcotte are working on a research project for Plymouth State’s Department of Health and Human Performance by measuring plasma volume adaptations to high and moderate exercise interventions for sedentary individuals.

Though the wording may seem foreign to people outside the world of exercise physiology, it isn’t as complex as one may think. The goal is simple, to try and find a connection between change in plasma and improved performance from the interventions.

According to the University of Rochester Medical Center’s encyclopedia, plasma’s primary purpose is to “transport nutrients, hormones, and proteins to the parts of the bodies that need it.” It was also noted that plasma “helps remove waste from the body... and is the largest component of your blood, making up about 55% of its overall content.”

15 students from Plymouth State University are going to be the participants of this study. The group of four conducting the research are going to have the participants ride on stationary bicycles. The 30 minute exercises, which are supervised by a certified personal trainer, take place over a three week period, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Students are assigned either medium intensity or high intensity exercises in order to compare how the two exercise interventions compare to each other. Students participating in the voluntary program will also undergo pre-intervention and post-intervention testing for the purpose of measuring changes in both oxygen and plasma volume. The students will also give samples of blood during both of these interventions over the three week process in order to estimate the percentage of plasma in the student’s blood.

Though the exercises may be intense over the three week period, it provides a chance for students to get in shape and lead an active and healthy lifestyle going into the future. With leadership and dedication that these ladies of Plymouth State University are putting together, we move one step closer to a healthier world.