MRC Epidemiology Unit
The latest news from the MRC Epidemiology Unit
Welcome to the winter 2023/24 issue of epigram, the quarterly newsletter from the MRC Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge.
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In this issue: how the world is our laboratory and the tools we’re developing to advance population health research and its applications, as well as the latest commentary, spotlights on our scientists, events, publications and opportunities in our department.
The world is our laboratory
Our researchers study changes in health and society in the UK and around the world, and work with communities to better understand the interacting factors that influence our health.
Fenland app study finds feeling depressed linked to short-term increase in bodyweight
Research by Dr Julia Mueller and colleagues has found that people living with overweight or obesity are more vulnerable to weight gain after experiencing increased feelings of depression. The researchers examined data from over 2,000 adults participating in the Fenland Covid-19 study who completed digital questionnaires on mental wellbeing & bodyweight every month for up to nine months using a mobile app developed by Huma.
They found that increases in symptoms of depression were associated with increases in bodyweight one month later, though this effect was only observed in those individuals with overweight or with obesity. The increase was not seen in those individuals with a BMI below 25kg/m2.
The findings suggest that monitoring and addressing depressive symptoms in individuals with overweight or obesity could help prevent further weight gain and be beneficial to both their mental and physical health. Read more.
UK soft drinks levy linked to fall in child hospital admissions for tooth extraction
The UK soft drinks industry levy introduced in 2018 may have reduced the number of under 18s having a tooth removed due to tooth decay by 12%.
Research published by Dr Nina Rogers and colleagues suggests that the fall in hospital admissions may have saved more than 5,500 hospital admissions for tooth decay alone and the largest reductions were in children aged up to nine years old.
The authors conclude that their study “provides evidence of possible benefits to children’s health from the UK soft drinks industry levy beyond obesity which it was initially developed to address.” Read more.
Working with pupils at an Ipswich School to help improve young people’s physical and mental health
PhD student Lauren Cross was interviewed by BBC Radio Suffolk and other local newspapers about her research with pupils at Northgate High School in Ipswich to provide better evidence to help all young people to be healthier, focusing on student’s mental health and managing weight. Students at Northgate High School were also interviewed about their experience of taking part in the research, and their motivations for getting involved.
Speaking with the BBC about her research Lauren said:
There is no point in designing an amazing intervention which works in theory, but when you put it in a school setting, it doesn’t reach the people you want it to be supporting. That’s exactly why we’ve teamed up with the students at Northgate – we’re chatting to them, not as research participants, but as research advisers.”
Reductions in air pollution in low- and middle- income countries during COVID-19 reveal scale of possible improvements through concerted policy shifts
A European Research Council (ERC)-funded systematic review and meta-analysis of papers reporting air quality in 27 low- & middle-income countries (LMICs) finds COVID-19 related restrictions resulted in substantial reductions in air pollution.
Air pollution disproportionately affects LMIC settings where it has been increasing alongside rapid urbanisation, and the analysis led by Dr Annalan Navaratnam and Dr Haneen Khreis found that rapid and substantial changes in air quality are achievable through concerted and coordinated policy measures. They point to the wide range of policy measures available to reduce air pollution, which can be explored in an interactive visualisation tool they published earlier this year. Read more.
Where you live is as important as what you eat
In an interview with WIRED magazine Professor Tolullah Oni discusses her research examining how to maximize the positive impact that cities have on health through improving urban design, and the role of “precision activism” in making cities healthier. Read the WIRED article.
Give us the tools…
Food Research risK (FoRK) Toolkit helps researchers navigate industry interactions
Researchers are encouraged to work with the commercial food sector to find ways to improve diets. However, we know that industry tries to influence research and policy, and their goals are often at odds with those of researchers and of population health. This can lead to conflicts of interest, bias, loss of trust in research, and poor policy.
But the commercial food sector is diverse. It’s everything from family businesses, to global corporations; from farmers and manufacturers to shop and restaurants. So when and how can researchers safely engage?
To support these decisions, we’ve consulted widely and developed the Food Research risK (FoRK) guidance and toolkit. FoRK aims to help researchers think about whether and how to interact with the commercial food sector. So that research integrity is protected, and good food policy is supported.
Find out more at www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/fork and watch a short explainer video below.
How the Feat tool can help build healthier neighbourhoods
Dr Thomas Burgoine recently spoke with the UK innovation agency Nesta about how the food environment influences health, and the key role of planning in improving public health. In the podcast Tom discusses how local authorities are using the updated and relaunched Food environment assessment tool (Feat) to help inform their planning decisions about food retail outlets.
Feat enables detailed exploration of the geography of food retail access across England, Scotland and Wales, and is designed around the needs of professionals in public health, environmental health and planning roles, locally and nationally.
Access the Feat tool and watch the Nesta podcast below
MRC Epidemiology Unit and NatCen win funding for next 5 years of the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey.
The Unit and our partner National Centre for Social Research have been awarded the contract to deliver the next phase of the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities-funded UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS), which has been running since 2008.
NDNS data has been used extensively by government to set and monitor progress toward diet and nutrition objectives and to develop policy interventions and recommendations, for example folic acid fortification of flour. Folic acid fortification legislation is expected to come into force during the next NDNS phase, and ultra processed foods are a new policy focus.
Using an online dietary assessment tool, the number of participants recruited for NDNS will increase from 1,000 to 4,000 per year, and will include for the first time children aged 12 to 17 months, and pregnant and breastfeeding women. In addition to quadrupling the number of participants, the number of blood samples taken will increase 50% from 500 participants to 750, adding to the existing NDNS Bioresource of blood & urine samples collected since 2008 and available for further analysis. Read more.
Participatory Systems Mapping for population health research, policy and practice
Participatory systems mapping engages stakeholders with varied knowledge and perspectives in creating a visual representation of a complex system. Its purpose is to explore, and document perceived causal relations between elements in the system.
A new guidance and framework developed by researchers at the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit and the University of Cambridge has been launch to help you select the method that’s right for you and think about how to design your participatory systems mapping project. For new and experienced users alike. Read more.
Spotlights on our scientists
Professor Ann Prentice awarded CBE for services to British and global public health nutrition
Prof Ann Prentice OBE, an Honorary Senior Visiting Fellow at the Unit, was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the New Year Honours for services to British and global public health nutrition.
Prof Prentice is the former Director of the MRC Elsie Widdowson Laboratory (previously MRC Human Nutrition Research) in Cambridge, where she was Programme Leader of the MRC Nutrition and Bone Health Research Group. She also led the Calcium, Vitamin D and Bone Health research team at MRC Unit The Gambia. Read more.
Unit researchers ranked among best in the world
Three scientists affiliated with our Unit – Prof Nita Forouhi, Prof Kay-Tee Khaw and Prof Claudia Langenberg – were ranked among Research.com’s Best Female Scientists in the World 2023. Only the top 1,000 female scientists in the world feature in the list, and Professor Khaw was ranked 1st in Europe and 5th overall. Read more.
Spotlight on public health research
Dr Kirsten Rennie and Phd student Yuru Huang were recently interviewed by Cambridge Public Health for their “Spotlight on…” series.
In her interview Kirsten Rennie dicusses the incorporation of remote monitoring technologies such as apps and wearable devices in population based research.
Yuru Huang discusses her MenuTracker database, which provides nutritional information of menu items served by large food chains in the UK.
BBC Click discusses new insights into early menopause
Dr Stasa Stankovic, a former PhD student with our Unit, discussed her genomics research into the prediction of early menopause with Lara Lewington on BBC Click, as part of an episode focusing on women in tech. Watch the BBC Click episode.
Upcoming events
Cambridge Festival panel discussion
Ultraprocessed foods: what do we really know?
Monday 25 March 2024, 6pm
Online: FREE registration here.
Ultra-processed foods are a hot topic, with growing calls for tighter regulation. But what do we really know about them? Are they all bad for us, and if so what can we do about it?
Join Professor Jean Adams of the MRC Epidemiology Unit and a panel of experts including Cathy Cliff (Soil Association), Samual Dicken (UCL), Tom Foster-Carter (Cherrypick) and Dr Yanaina Chavez-Ugalde (MRC Epidemiology Unit) at this hybrid Cambridge Festival event to examine what ultra-processed foods are and their potential health implications. The panel will also discuss what policies and regulations could be implemented for ultra-processed foods, and whether they should be.
After the discussion the panel will answer questions from the audience.
Bradford Hill Seminar with Professor Sir Michael Marmot
Social justice and health equity
Wednesday 28 February 2024, 1pm
Online: FREE registration here.
Taking action to reduce health inequalities is a matter of social justice. In developing strategies for tackling health inequalities we need to confront the social gradient in health not just the difference between the worst off and everybody else.
There is clear evidence when we look across countries that national policies make a difference and that much can be done in cities, towns and local areas. But policies and interventions must not be confined to the health care system; they need to address the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age.
In this talk Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Professor of Epidemiology at University College London, Director of the UCL Institute of Health Equity, and Past President of the World Medical Association, will discuss how tackling the health gap will take action, based on sound evidence, across the whole of society
Opportunities at the Unit
Digital Communications & Content Manager
Could you develop and deliver innovative, engaging and high quality content about leading edge research ranging from genetics to population health?
We are seeking to appoint a Digital Communications and Content Manager to deliver a range of communications and engagement outputs, with a focus on the development, production and commissioning of online content. This content will support and be developed alongside media, public engagement and policy facing activities, and the role will also support other internal and external communications and engagement activities.
- Closing date 26 February 2024
- Full details
Research Laboratory Technician (Fixed Term)
The Unit is looking to appoint a Research Laboratory Technician, whose primary role will be to process to standard protocol biological samples, mainly blood and urine from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS). This includes blood sample fractionation, aliquoting and storage in ULT freezers. The NDNS assesses the diet, nutrient intake and nutritional status of the general population of the UK.
- Closing date 11 February 2024
- Full details
Senior IT Infrastructure Engineer
We are seeking to appoint a Senior IT Infrastructure Engineer to play an important role within the Unit’s IT Team. The Senior IT Infrastructure Engineer will be the Windows Server expert for the IT Team and will lead on supporting the associated infrastructure. An important aspect of the role will be to further develop existing procedures around Windows Server and Domain administration. The role holder will be expected to lead on enhancing existing methods and developing new approaches. They will also provide technical subject matter expertise and be responsible for the associated policies which provide the standards and protocols for the IT team to follow.
- Closing date 4 February 2024
- Full details
Our latest publications
Our commitment to Open Access
The MRC Epidemiology Unit is committed to Open Access and to making our research more accessible, equitable, transparent and reproducible.
We aim for all MRC Epidemiology Unit-led papers to be fully available through Open Access as we continue to break down any barriers to knowledge.
New publications
You can find all publications from the MRC Epidemiology Unit on our Publications Database: https://publications.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/
You can search by journal, year, study, programme, Unit author, and keywords in the title and abstract.
Since the last issue of epigram, our researchers have published the following papers:
- Total and temporal patterning of physical activity in adolescents and associations with mental wellbeing Alshallal AD et al. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act
- A systematic scoping review evaluating sugar-sweetened beverage taxation from a systems perspective Alvarado M et al. Nat Food
- Metabolic control of puberty: 60 years in the footsteps of Kennedy and Mitra’s seminal work. Anderson GM et al. Nat Rev Endocrinol
- The potential influence of the digital food retail environment on health: a systematic scoping review of the literature Bennett R et al. Obes Rev
- Trans-ancestral genome-wide association study of longitudinal pubertal height growth and shared heritability with adult health outcomes Bradfield JP et al. Genome Biol
- Charting a Course: Navigating Rigor and Meaning in Global Health Research Canelas T et al. J Phys Act Health
- Estimating Vitamin C Intake Requirements in Diabetes Mellitus: Analysis of NHANES 2017-2018 and EPIC-Norfolk Cohorts Carr AC et al. Antioxidants (Basel)
- Multi-omic prediction of incident type 2 diabetes Carrasco-Zanini J et al. Diabetologia
- GDF15 linked to maternal risk of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy Fejzo M et al. Nature
- Relationship of calcium and magnesium intakes with the dietary approaches to stop hypertension score and blood pressure: the International Study of Macro/micronutrients and Blood Pressure Gibson R et al. J Hypertens
- More play and fewer screens – a way to improve preschoolers’ mental health? Cross-sectional findings from the British Preschool-children’s Play Survey Hesketh KR et al. Lancet
- Performance of polygenic risk scores in screening, prediction, and risk stratification: secondary analysis of data in the Polygenic Score Catalog Hingorani AD et al. BMJ Med
- Assessing the healthiness of menus of all out-of-home food outlets and its socioeconomic patterns in Great Britain Huang Y et al. Health Place
- Parliamentary reaction to the announcement and implementation of the UK Soft Drinks Industry Levy: applied thematic analysis of 2016-2020 parliamentary debates Jones CP et al. Public Health Nutr
- Quantification and reporting of vitamin D concentrations measured in human milk by LC-MS/MS Jones KS et al. Front Nutr
- Incidence of dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease, genetic susceptibility and grip strength among older adults Kim Y et al. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci
- ANGPTL3 (Angiopoietin-Like 3) Preferentially Resides on High-Density Lipoprotein in the Human Circulation, Affecting Its Activity Kraaijenhof JM et al. J Am Heart Assoc
- Experiences of Emotional Eating in an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Based Weight Management Intervention (SWiM): A Qualitative Study Kudlek L et al. Appetite
- The moderating and mediating role of eating behaviour traits in acceptance and commitment therapy-based weight management interventions: protocol for an individual participant data meta-analysis Kudlek L et al. BMJ Open
- Genome-wide association study meta-analysis of dizygotic twinning illuminates genetic regulation of female fecundity Mbarek H et al. Hum Reprod
- Setting the agenda for diabetes research in the state of Qatar Mishra A et al. Public Health Chall
- The relationship of within-individual and between-individual variation in mental health with bodyweight: An exploratory longitudinal study Mueller J et al. PLoS One
- Systematic review and meta-analysis on the impact of COVID-19 related restrictions on air quality in low- and middle-income countries Navaratnam AMD et al. Sci Total Environ
- Shaping urban environments to improve respiratory health: recommendations for research, planning, and policy Nieuwenhuijsen M et al. Lancet Respir Med
- Genetic determinants of complement activation in the general population Noce D et al. Cell Rep
- Omega-3 Blood Levels and Stroke Risk: A Pooled and Harmonized Analysis of 183 291 Participants From 29 Prospective Studies O’Keefe JH et al. Stroke
- Sex-specific Lifetime Risk of Cardiovascular Events. The EPIC-Norfolk Prospective Population Cohort Study Pana TA et al. Eur J Prev Cardiol
- Protocol for measuring erythrocyte glutathione reductase activity coefficient to assess riboflavin status Parkington D et al. STAR Protoc
- Assessment of the temporal and seasonal variabilities in air pollution and implications for physical activity in Lagos and Yaoundé Popoola OA et al. Atmosphere
- Saturation genome editing of DDX3X clarifies pathogenicity of germline and somatic variation Radford EJ et al. Nat Commun
- Changes in soft drinks purchased by British households associated with the UK soft drinks industry levy: a controlled interrupted time series analysis Rogers N et al. BMJ Open
- Estimated impact of the UK soft drinks industry levy on childhood hospital admissions for carious tooth extractions: interrupted time series analysis Rogers NT et al. BMJ Nutr Prev Health
- Policy actors’ perceptions of conflicts of interest and alcohol industry engagement in UK policy processes Severi K et al. Int J Health Policy Manag
- Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between the 24-hour movement behaviours, including muscle and bone strengthening activity, with bone and lean mass from childhood to adolescence Skinner AM et al. BMC Public Health
- Gender differences in caregivers’ attitudes to risky child play in Britain: a cross-sectional study Smith AD et al. J Phys Act Health
- Tryptophan metabolites and incident cardiovascular disease: The EPIC-Norfolk prospective population study Teunis CJ et al. Atherosclerosis
- Faster rehabilitation weight gain during childhood is associated with risk of non-communicable disease in adult survivors of severe acute malnutrition Thompson DS et al. PLOS Glob Public Health
- Identification of circulating proteins associated with general cognitive function among middle-aged and older adults Tin A et al. Commun Biol
- Plasma metabolites related to the consumption of different types of dairy products and their association with new-onset type 2 diabetes: analyses in the Fenland and EPIC-Norfolk Studies, United Kingdom Trichia E et al. Mol Nutr Food Res
- Investigating the impact of London’s ultra low emission zone on children’s health: children’s health in London and Luton (CHILL) protocol for a prospective parallel cohort study Tsocheva I et al. BMC Pediatr
- Children’s experiences of care on walking and cycling journeys between home and school in Healthy New Towns: Reframing active school travel Tupper E et al. Health Place
- Agnogenic practices and corporate political strategy: the legitimation of UK gambling industry-funded youth education programmes van Schalkwyk MCI et al. Health Promo Int
- A meta-analysis of previous falls and subsequent fracture risk in cohort studies Vandenput L et al. Osteoporos Int
- Observational and genetic associations between cardiorespiratory fitness and cancer: a UK Biobank and international consortia study Watts EL et al. Br J Cancer
- Inequalities in Leisure-Time Physical Activity and Television Viewing According to Age Among a Brazilian Adult Population Wendt A et al. J Phys Act Health
- Evaluating the impact of low traffic neighbourhoods in areas with low car ownership: A natural experimental evaluation Xiao C et al. J Transp Health
- Design effects of cycle infrastructure changes: An exploratory analysis of cycle levels Xiao CS et al. Transp Res Interdiscip Perspect
- Smokeless and combustible tobacco use among 148,944 South Asian adults: a cross-sectional study of South Asia Biobank Xie W et al. BMC Public Health
- Association Between Household Online Grocery Delivery Service Use and Food and Drink Purchase Behavior in England: Cross-Sectional Analysis Yau A et al. JMIR Public Health Surveill
- Mendelian randomization identifies circulating proteins as biomarkers for age at menarche and age at natural menopause Yazdanpanah N et al. Commun Biol
About epigram
epigram is the newsletter for everyone interested in work happening at the MRC Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge.
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