Ricardo Da Costa

Dr Ricardo Costa works in the Department of Nutrition Dietetics & Food, Faculty of Medicine Nursing and Health Sciences at Monash University as an academic, researchers, consultant and practitioner in Sports Dietetics and Extremes Physiology. Ricardo is a HCPC Registered Dietitian-UK, SENr Registered Sport Dietitian- UK, Accredited Practicing Dietitian-Aus and Advanced Sports Dietitian-Aus, who came to Monash University in August 2013 from Coventry University-UK.

Ricardo completed his PhD at the University of Wales- UK, in neuroendocrine and nutritional immunology on the influence of sleep deprivation, cold exposure, exercise stress and nutritional intervention on selected immune responses; which examined the impact of individual and combined stressors on immune function. Additionally, the role of nutrition intervention in attenuation exercise-induce perturbations to immune function. Ricardo's recent work has focused on the impact of multi-stressor activity on immune, thermoregulatory, and gastrointestinal health; and additionally, the impact of ultra-marathon competition on nutrition and hydration status, and implication for health.

Research Interest: Ricardos research interests include the impact of exercise stress with and without other stressors on gut health, and role of nutrition in attenuating or exacerbating stress induce perturbations to gut health. Over the last few years he has established and led an international multi-centre research team investigating the impact of ultra-endurance competition on nutritional and hydration status, and on various physiological and immunological parameters; in which issue of gut health have been identified. Previously, as course director for Sports Dietetic training in the UK, he is an active consultant and supervisor in Sports Dietetics, providing and supervising sport and exercise nutritional support to a wide range of sports at recreational, amateur, and elite (Olympic athletes) level.

Research Expertise: Dietary assessment and analysis, recipe development, indirect calorimetry, hydration status measurement techniques, thermoregulation, exercise physiology measurement techniques (including anthropometrics), exercise immunology, gastrointestinal assessment during exercise; sample collection techniques and processing, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay techniques, field and laboratory based experimental designs.