Dr Paul T Morgan Ph.D., MSc., BSc. (Hons), FHEA, BASES, SENr
Senior Lecturer in Human Nutrition and Metabolism
Registered Sport and Exercise Nutritionist (SENr)
My profile
Biography
I am a Senior Lecturer in Human Nutrition and Metabolism and SENr Sport and Exercise Nutritionist with a broad range of interests in physiology, nutrition and metabolism. I am also a BASES Accredited Sport and Exercise Scientist. Broadly speaking, my current primary interests are on the integration of exercise and diet in-vivo across the lifespan, with a predominant focus on protein metabolism. My passion lies within human research that incorporates the use of nutritional and pharmacological interventions as well as exercise training. To do so, I use a combination of stable isotopes and muscle biopsies (taken by myself) alongside sophisticated imaging technqiues and functional assessments housed within our institute. My Doctoral Thesis was awarded the 2020 Professor Tom Reilly Doctoral Dissertation of the Year.
Interests and expertise
What am I working on now and why is it important?
We are actively seeking collaborators and industry partners to investigate the health benefits of sustainable protein sources, leveraging our expertise in nutrition and exercise interventions on skeletal muscle. We are particularly interested in collaborating with organizations that can provide funding or assist in applying for funding opportunities. Internally, we have various funding mechanisms available to us, which can help reduce costs and facilitate research endeavours.
We are eager to connect with experts across different aspects of health and the food chain to explore innovative approaches to maximize the sustainability of our food systems. Collaboration is key to addressing the multifaceted challenges we face, and we welcome partnerships aimed at advancing our understanding and implementation of sustainable protein sources for the benefit of both human health and the environment. Our Institute offers an extensive array of facilities tailored for studying health, movement, and sporting performance, including 3 Tesla MRI and x-ray scanners, enabling comprehensive assessments of body tissues, function, and composition.
If you would like access to and/or discuss any activity relating to OUR research and/or consultancy work, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Impact
I am BASES accredited and available to support propesctive BASES members on their path to acheiving accreditation. If you would like to enquire about supervision and/or Nutritional Consultancy ( SENR Directory: Find a sports nutritionist - British Dietetic Association (BDA)), please do not hesitate to contact me via p.morgan@mmu.ac.uk.
I am the Lead for the IOS Seminar Series, Human Performance Unit (HPU) and on the Board of the British Society for Research on Ageing (BSRA). I am also a member of the Faculty-level-Ethics committee review board. For all queries please contact:
IOS Seminar Series: ios.seminarseries@mmu.ac.uk
Human Performance Unit (HPU): humanperformanceunit@mmu.ac.uk
British Society for Research on Ageing (BSRA): paul.morgan@bsra.org.uk
Faculty-level Ethics committee review board: ethics-scieng@mmu.ac.uk
Projects
I work with a range of industry leaders in sport and health nutrition and continue to actively seek collaborators and industry partners to investigate the health benefits of sustainable protein sources, leveraging our expertise in nutrition and exercise interventions on skeletal muscle. If you are interested, please do not hesitate to get in touch. My group are currently working on the following projects:
- Protein nutrition and dietary requirements in myositis patients
- Protein nutrition and diet quality in cystic fibrosis patients
- A gut health intervention to improve aminoacidemia in old obese individuals
- The acute anabolic effects of microflora protein, following resistance exercise
- The effects of a hydrolysed collagen on exercise performance, strength, inflammation and gut leakage
Teaching
Why study…
Sport and Exercise Sciences at Manchester Metropolitan University has a strong history stretching back over 30 years. Our facilities to teach and to research physical performance span cell and molecular through to in vivo whole-body human studies. Our techniques are applied to study elite athletic performance as well as long-term clinical conditions. A full list of courses can be found on our departmental website: https://www2.mmu.ac.uk/sport-and-exercise-sciences/
Subject areas
In 2020, I completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE) and attained status of Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy [FHEA]. I am the Academic Interest Lead for Nutrition and Metabolism, and teach in the following areas and courses:
Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science I MSc Sport and Exercise Science
Sport and Exercise Nutrition BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Nutrition I MSc Sport Nutrition
Supervision
I am currently open to and accepting research students. Please contact via email if you’re interested in working with us.
Research outputs
See my research portfolio here: Paul Morgan Research Portfolio.
My group are currently working on the following projects:
- Protein nutrition and dietary requirements in myositis patients
- Protein nutrition and diet quality in cystic fibrosis patients
- A gut health intervention to improve aminoacidemia in old obese individuals
- The acute anabolic effects of microflora protein, following resistance exercise
- The effects of a hydrolysed collagen on exercise performance, strength, inflammation and gut leakage
If you would like access to and/or discuss any activity relating to my research, please do not hesitate to contact me.
-
Journal articles
Smeuninx, B., Elhassan, Y.S., Sapey, E., Rushton, A.B., Morgan, P.T., Korzepa, M., Belfield, A.E., Philp, A., Brook, M.S., Gharahdaghi, N., Wilkinson, D., Smith, K., Atherton, P.J., Breen, L. (2023) 'A single bout of prior resistance exercise attenuates muscle atrophy and declines in myofibrillar protein synthesis during bed-rest in older men.' The Journal of Physiology,
Morgan, P.T., Witard, O.C., Højfeldt, G., Church, D.D., Breen, L. (2023) 'Dietary protein recommendations to support healthy muscle ageing in the 21st century and beyond: considerations and future directions.' Proceedings of the Nutrition Society,
Morgan, P.T., Smeuninx, B., Marshall, R.N., Korzepa, M., Quinlan, J.I., McPhee, J.S., Breen, L. (2023) 'Greater myofibrillar protein synthesis following weight-bearing activity in obese old compared with non-obese old and young individuals.' GeroScience,
Marshall, R.N., Morgan, P.T., Smeuninx, B., Quinlan, J.I., Brook, M.S., Atherton, P.J., Smith, K., Wilkinson, D.J., Breen, L. (2023) 'Myofibrillar Protein Synthesis and Acute Intracellular Signaling with Elastic Band Resistance Exercise in Young and Older Men.' Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 55(3) pp. 398-408.
Giannos, P., Prokopidis, K., Church, D.D., Kirk, B., Morgan, P.T., Lochlainn, M.N., Macpherson, H., Woods, D.R., Ispoglou, T. (2023) 'Associations of bioavailable serum testosterone with cognitive function in older men: results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.' The Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 78(1) pp. 151-157.
Marshall, R.N., McKendry, J., Smeuninx, B., Seabright, A.P., Morgan, P.T., Greig, C., Breen, L. (2023) 'Acute resistance exercise training does not augment mitochondrial remodelling in master athletes or untrained older adults.' Frontiers in Physiology, 13pp. 1097988-1097988.
Edwards, S.J., Carter, S., Nicholson, T., Allen, S.L., Morgan, P.T., Jones, S.W., Rendeiro, C., Breen, L. (2022) '(-)-Epicatechin and its colonic metabolite hippuric acid protect against dexamethasone-induced atrophy in skeletal muscle cells.' Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, 110pp. 109150-109150.
Marshall, R.N., Smeuninx, B., Seabright, A.P., Morgan, P.T., Atherton, P.J., Philp, A., Breen, L. (2022) 'No effect of five days of bed rest or short-term resistance exercise prehabilitation on markers of skeletal muscle mitochondrial content and dynamics in older adults.' Physiological Reports, 10(13)
Evans, D.A., Jackson, D.T., Kelly, A.L., Williams, C.A., McAuley, A.B.T., Knapman, H., Morgan, P.T. (2022) 'Monitoring postmatch fatigue during a competitive season in elite youth soccer players.' Journal of Athletic Training, 57(2) pp. 184-190.
Edwards, S.J., Shad, B.J., Marshall, R.N., Morgan, P.T., Wallis, G.A., Breen, L. (2021) 'Short-term step reduction reduces citrate synthase activity without altering skeletal muscle markers of oxidative metabolism or insulin-mediated signaling in young males.' Journal of Applied Physiology, 131(6) pp. 1653-1662.
Morgan, P.T., Harris, D.O., Marshall, R.N., Quinlan, J.I., Edwards, S.J., Allen, S.L., Breen, L. (2021) 'Protein source and quality for skeletal muscle anabolism in young and older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.' The Journal of Nutrition, 151(7) pp. 1901-1920.
Morgan, P.T., Breen, L. (2021) 'The role of protein hydrolysates for exercise-induced skeletal muscle recovery and adaptation: a current perspective.' Nutrition and Metabolism, 18(1) pp. 44-44.
Smeuninx, B., Elhassan, Y.S., Manolopoulos, K.N., Sapey, E., Rushton, A.B., Edwards, S.J., Morgan, P.T., Philp, A., Brook, M.S., Gharahdaghi, N., Smith, K., Atherton, P.J., Breen, L. (2021) 'The effect of short-term exercise prehabilitation on skeletal muscle protein synthesis and atrophy during bed rest in older men.' Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, 12(1) pp. 52-69.
Williams, E.R., McKendry, J., Morgan, P.T., Breen, L. (2021) 'Enhanced cycling time-trial performance during multiday exercise with higher-pressure compression garment wear.' International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 16(2) pp. 287-295.
Morgan, P.T., Smeuninx, B., Breen, L. (2020) 'Exploring the Impact of Obesity on Skeletal Muscle Function in Older Age.' Frontiers in Nutrition, 7
Marshall, R.N., Morgan, P.T., Martinez-Valdes, E., Breen, L. (2020) 'Quadriceps muscle electromyography activity during physical activities and resistance exercise modes in younger and older adults.' Experimental Gerontology, 136
Cocksedge, S.P., Breese, B.C., Morgan, P.T., Nogueira, L., Thompson, C., Wylie, L.J., Jones, A.M., Bailey, S.J. (2020) 'Influence of muscle oxygenation and nitrate-rich beetroot juice supplementation on O2 uptake kinetics and exercise tolerance.' Nitric Oxide: Biology and Chemistry, 99pp. 25-33.
Marshall, R.N., Smeuninx, B., Morgan, P.T., Breen, L. (2020) 'Nutritional strategies to offset disuse-induced skeletal muscle atrophy and anabolic resistance in older adults: From whole-foods to isolated ingredients.' Nutrients, 12(5)
Kelly, A.L., Wilson, M.R., Gough, L.A., Knapman, H., Morgan, P., Cole, M., Jackson, D.T., Williams, C.A. (2020) 'A longitudinal investigation into the relative age effect in an English professional football club: exploring the ‘underdog hypothesis’.' Science and Medicine in Football, 4(2) pp. 111-118.
Morehen, S., Smeuninx, B., Perkins, M., Morgan, P., Breen, L. (2019) 'Pre-sleep casein protein ingestion does not impact next-day appetite, energy intake and metabolism in older individuals.' Nutrients, 12(1)
Morgan, P.T., Bailey, S.J., Banks, R.A., Fulford, J., Vanhatalo, A., Jones, A.M. (2019) 'Contralateral fatigue during severe-intensity single-leg exercise: Influence of acute acetaminophen ingestion.' American Journal of Physiology: Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 317(2) pp. R346-R354.
Morgan, P.T., Black, M.I., Bailey, S.J., Jones, A.M., Vanhatalo, A. (2019) 'Road cycle TT performance: relationship to the power-duration model and association with FTP.' Journal of Sports Sciences, 37(8) pp. 902-910.
Morgan, P.T., Barton, M.J., Bowtell, J.L. (2019) 'Montmorency cherry supplementation improves 15-km cycling time-trial performance.' European Journal of Applied Physiology, 119(3) pp. 675-684.
Morgan, P.T., Vanhatalo, A., Bowtell, J.L., Jones, A.M., Bailey, S.J. (2019) 'Acute ibuprofen ingestion does not attenuate fatigue during maximal intermittent knee extensor or all-out cycling exercise.' Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 44(2) pp. 208-215.
Morgan, P.T., Wollman, P.M., Jackman, S.R., Bowtell, J.L. (2018) 'Flavanol-rich cacao mucilage juice enhances recovery of power but not strength from intensive exercise in healthy, young men.' Sports, 6(4)
Morgan, P.T., Vanhatalo, A., Bowtell, J.L., Jones, A.M., Bailey, S.J. (2018) 'Acetaminophen ingestion improves muscle activation and performance during a 3-min all-out cycling test.' Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, 44(4) pp. 434-442.
McDonagh, S.T., Wylie, L.J., Morgan, P.T., Vanhatalo, A., Jones, A.M. (2018) 'A randomised controlled trial exploring the effects of different beverages consumed alongside a nitrate-rich meal on systemic blood pressure.' Nutrition and Health, 24(3) pp. 183-192.
Dewhurst-Trigg, R., Yeates, T., Blackwell, J.R., Thompson, C., Linoby, A., Morgan, P.T., Clarke, I., Connolly, L.J., Wylie, L.J., Winyard, P.G., Jones, A.M., Bailey, S.J. (2018) 'Lowering of blood pressure after nitrate-rich vegetable consumption is abolished with the co-ingestion of thiocyanate-rich vegetables in healthy normotensive males.' Nitric Oxide: Biology and Chemistry, 74pp. 39-46.
Morgan, P.T., Bowtell, J.L., Vanhatalo, A., Jones, A.M., Bailey, S.J. (2018) 'Acute acetaminophen ingestion improves performance and muscle activation during maximal intermittent knee extensor exercise.' European Journal of Applied Physiology, 118(3) pp. 595-605.
Black, M.I., Jones, A.M., Morgan, P.T., Bailey, S.J., Fulford, J., Vanhatalo, A. (2018) 'The effects of β-alanine supplementation on muscle pH and the power-duration relationship during high-intensity exercise.' Frontiers in Physiology, 9
Career history
2021-Current
Senior Lecturer in Human Nutrition and Metabolism (Manchester Metropolitan University, Institute of Sport)
2018-2021
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow (University of Birmingham)
[Teaching Fellow 2017-2018]
2014-2018
PhD in Exercise Physiology and Metabolism (University of Exeter)
Supervisors: Dr Stephen Bailey, Professor Andrew Jones, Professor Anni Vanhatalo
[Research associate 2016-2017]
2012-2017
Nutritionist and Lead in Strength & Conditioning and Sport Science (Exeter City Football Club)
2012-2014
MSc Sport and Health Sciences (University of Exeter)
[Lab technician 2012-2014]
2009-2012
BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Sciences (University of Exeter)
Press and media
Recent media appearances and involvement
- ITV Show ‘ITV Tonight’ on the 4th of January 2024. The episode discussed how diet can ‘defeat ageing’ and can be accessed here (Series 26, Episode 1, Can your diet defeat: Ageing?): Tonight - Series 26 - Episode 1 - ITVX.
- Flex Diet Podcast Episode 258: Navigating Protein Nutrition: Aging, Sustainability, and Future Trends Flex Diet Podcast Episode 258 I Dr Paul Morgan
- BASES Article on sustainable alternative protein considerations for skeletal muscle remodeling across the lifespan (Issue 78, Winter 2023): TSES Articles
- The BASES Expert Statement (Issue 71, Spring 2022) on Protein recommendations for athletes: amount, type and timing: Expert Statement PDF
-
The BASES Expert Statement (Issue 72, Summer 2022) on optimising protein intake recommendations for skeletal muscle mass in older adults to support healthy ageing: Expert Statement PDF