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The University has been at the forefront of Vitamin D research over the past decade, with the findings of the work used to change the dietary intake guidelines on the international stage, most notably in the U.S by the Institute of Medicine, the international body responsible for agenda setting of dietary recommendations worldwide. The extensive research has also been crucial in informing UK and Irish Health Service reports on vitamin D assessment and use during pregnancy and in infants and has provided robust scientific evidence to the food industry for fortification strategies. In addition to establishing the vitamin D requirements of population sub-groups, the research at Ulster has also focused on investigating the relationship between vitamin D status and skeletal & cardiovascular health and immune function.
The University of Southampton's lifecourse cohort studies have led to a paradigm shift in the medical approach to obesity and non-communicable diseases. Research linking maternal pre-conception and early years nutrition with health outcomes for later life has directly influenced public healthcare policy at international (United Nations), national (Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition) and local (Southampton City) levels. Dissemination through medical practice and Southampton-designed public education programmes such as LifeLab means this research has already led to health benefits for tens of thousands of people, providing them with the information and tools to help prevent themselves and their children from succumbing to a non-communicable disease.
Use of our new Tandem Mass Spectrometry (MS) technology for measuring 25 Hydroxy Vitamin D (25OHD) has had both major clinical and economic impacts on:
Within the UK Armed Forces, stress fractures during training in military recruits represent the single largest cause of lost duty days, resulting in substantial costs for the Ministry of Defence.
Research by the University of Surrey has established unique associations between physical characteristics, bone health and nutrition on stress fracture incidence during Royal Marine and Royal Air Force recruit training. This has led the MoD to change entry criteria and to update nutritional advice both in training and during deployment for military personnel. The resultant reduction in number of stress fractures has had both economic and health and wellbeing impacts.
Research at the University of Sheffield has demonstrated that zoledronic acid is an effective and safe treatment for osteoporosis. It resulted in a new drug intervention (Aclasta/Reclast) which has been licensed in more than 100 countries and shows increased positive outcomes for patients.
As a result of the licensing of the drug, clinical guidelines have changed globally. For patients, the drug provides a preferred method of treatment, evidenced in surveys which show the majority of patients preferred an annual infusion of zoledronic acid to the alternative, which is the standard treatment of weekly oral alendronate.
Industry has invested in research and development of the drug. Novartis has funded studies into the efficacy and safety profile (up to 2012); in 2011, sales of Aclasta/Reclast were US$0.6 billion.
Research at the University of Nottingham (UoN) has had influence on development of health policy in the UK and internationally. It is recognised that the risk of diseases related to obesity and insulin resistance, is partly determined by the nutritional environment experienced during early life. Against a background of scepticism researchers at the UoN have generated data that has been critical in demonstrating the biological plausibility of such associations. This has influenced expert panels and non-governmental organisations in framing their current recommendations for nutrition in pregnancy and infancy, which benefit women and children worldwide.
Research at the University of Sheffield has resulted in FRAX, the first internationally-applicable fracture risk calculator that provides individualised 10-year probabilities of major osteoporotic fractures from readily available clinical risk factors. It has replaced bone mineral density (BMD) as the sole quantitative measure of fracture risk, thus increasing global access to risk assessment and improving targeting of treatment to patients at highest risk. FRAX is incorporated widely into national and international guidelines for osteoporosis management. Launched in 2008, it now provides country-specific calculations for 53 nations, in 28 languages. The online tool alone recently processed its 6.6 millionth calculation.
For over 20 years, conclusive evidence has existed that folic acid in early pregnancy prevents spina bifida and related birth defects (collectively known as neural tube defects; NTD), leading to folic acid recommendations for women of reproductive age worldwide. However, translating these recommendations into practice remains a significant challenge. This case study is focussed on identifying and addressing the challenges in implementing current folic acid policy into practice in healthy populations, and in parallel investigating newer roles for folate in preventing disease. Our international outputs to date have provided a scientific foundation for developing evidence-based, sometimes controversial, policy in this area and its translation to consumers.
John Williams and colleagues found that serum homocysteine predicted cognitive decline and predicted the potential for vitamin B12 in treatment of dementia, including Alzheimer's Disease. This finding has led to the production of 2 novel cobalamin compounds, glutathionyl cobalamin (GSCbl) and N-acetyl cysteinyl cobalamin (NACCbl), in collaboration with Kent State University (USA), the use of which were patented in USA. We have also identified a novel anti-oxidant activity of vitamin B12. This work has led to the production of Betrinac sold by the Chester company, Cobalz Ltd, in the UK and PamLab Llc, USA.
Caffeine is widely consumed in pregnancy as has the potential to harm the developing fetus. Professor Janet Cade and colleagues at the University of Leeds designed a robust study to accurately quantify caffeine intake in 2635 pregnant women throughout pregnancy. The results showed caffeine intake is associated with an increased risk of fetal growth restriction, which is linked with perinatal mortality and morbidity and adverse effects in later life. As a result of this study, and a review of previous evidence, the Food Standards Agency issued new advice to pregnant women to limit their daily caffeine intake to below 200mg/day.