Contact
Research Summary
Iodine nutrition.
Iodine is an element required in trace amounts for the synthesis of thyroid hormone. Chronic under-consumption can lead to hypothyroidism and other thyroid outcomes resulting in disturbed metabolic homeostasis. A low iodine status in pregnancy can have severe to catastrophic impacts on the unborn fetus, increasing the likelyhood of miscarriage and for those babies that survive, there is a significant risk of impaired neural development resulting in cognitive defects, the most severe of which is cretinism.
We have been working for some time on identifying groups at risk of iodine deficiency and attempting to determine effective routes to restoration of dietary iodine intake, as salt iodisation, an effective government driven intervention present across much of the globe, is not in place in the UK. We, along with many others, have shown that low consumption of milk and dairy products can lead to very low iodine intakes and we are now working to facilitate the increased iodisation of alternative milk and dairy replacement products.
Food insecurity.
In recent years we have seen a proliferation of food banks and hunger alleviation schemes. Increasing financial pressures imposed on those who already have limited resources has resulted in a large population with an uncertain, unreliable food supply.
Reliance on food aid and dependence on the cheapest food options has significant long-term impacts on our physical and mental health. We have conducted a number of studies in which we have tried to identify principal drivers of food insecurity and assess its impact. Intake of a range of micronutrients is often compromised and poor self-reported health outcomes are frequently reported.
Our current work aims to identify innovative means of intervention to alleviate food poverty and consequent food insecurity. Working with the local authority and food retailers, we have begun to establish potential routes for continuous, reliable monitoring alongside procedures for determining the most appropriate interventions for different groups.
Fetal programming.
Exposure to maternal undernutrition in early life directly impacts upon fetal growth and development and permanently alters postnatal physiology. This has been demonstrated to predispose individuals towards cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity in adulthood. An important aspect of these phenotypes is that they are both permanent and worsen with age. My current research seeks to examine the role of epigenetic modifications, most notably DNA methylation, brought about by in utero exposure to maternal undernutrition, in programming insulin resistance and how this might be modulated by ageing. In addition, I am also interested in understanding the mechanisms by which fetal growth impairment results in alterations in cellular determination during development.
Recent Publications
MANSILLA, R., LONG, G., WELHAM, S., HARVEY, J., LUKINOVA, E., NICA-AVRAM, G., SMITH, G., SALT, D., SMITH, A. and GOULDING, J., 2024. Detecting iodine deficiency risks from dietary transitions using shopping data Scientific Reports. 14, 1017 MICHELLE LORRAINE THOMAS, ELIZABETH EVELEIGH, ZEYNEP VURAL, PETER ROSE, AMANDA AVERY, LISA CONEYWORTH and SIMON WELHAM, 2022. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food security of UK adults aged 20-65 years (COVID-19 Food Security and Dietary Assessment Study). Nutrients. 14(23), 5078 VURAL,Z., AVERY, A., KALOGIROS, D. I., CONEYWORTH, L. J. and WELHAM, S. J. M., 2020. Trace Mineral Intake and Deficiencies in Older Adults Living in the Community and Institutions: A Systematic Review Nutrients. 12(4),