Kevin Zwetsloot

Dr. Kevin Zwetsloot serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Public Health and Exercise Science at Appalachian State University, where he investigates skeletal muscle physiology with emphasis on aging-related mechanisms. His research program focuses on sarcopenia development, muscle repair after injury, and inflammation pathways, utilizing rodent models to develop exercise and nutritional interventions.

His educational background includes:

• Post-doctoral research fellowship from the University of Missouri, Columbia
• Ph.D. in Bioenergetics from East Carolina University
• M.A. in Physical Education from California State University, Chico
• B.S. in Exercise Physiology from California State University, Chico

Dr. Zwetsloot's laboratory explores phytoecdysteroid supplementation for mitigating age-related muscle loss and accelerating recovery from injury, while also investigating exercise-microbiome interactions in aging populations. Current projects examine how exercise influences gut microbiota composition during aging and post-antibiotic recolonization, alongside developing novel resistance training models for rodents.

His publication trends (2020-2023) reveal a strong focus on translational rodent models for human exercise physiology, with increasing emphasis on the gut-muscle axis and natural compound interventions. Recent work demonstrates phytoecdysteroids' role in muscle recovery without anabolic effects in sedentary aging, while methodological advances include weighted wheel running protocols and heat shock applications for muscle damage repair.

Dr. Zwetsloot actively mentors students as evidenced by trainee notations in publications, supervising research on muscle physiology and microbiome interactions. His work receives support for studies involving exercise interventions, nutritional compounds, and aging muscle models, though specific grant details are not provided in source materials.

He directs the Biochemistry laboratory and collaborates extensively with the Vivarium team, utilizing specialized facilities for in vivo exercise studies and muscle tissue analysis. His rodent models enable precise investigation of muscle adaptations to progressive resistance training and eccentric injury protocols.