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The Rowett Institute

Dr Alan Sneddon

Dr Alan Sneddon
Dr Alan Sneddon
Dr Alan Sneddon

Lecturer

About
Email Address
a.sneddon@abdn.ac.uk
Telephone Number
+44 (0)1224 438671
Office Address

Metabolic Health Group

Rowett Institute

University of Aberdeen

Foresterhill

Aberdeen. AB25 2ZD

Tel: +44(0)1224 438671   

Fax: +44(0)1224 438629

 

School/Department
School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition

Qualifications

  • BSc (Hons) Biochemistry 
    1985 - University of Dundee 
  • PhD Biochemistry 
    1989 - University of Dundee 

External Memberships

  • Former Deputy Editor for British Journal of Nutrition
  • Former First Editor for Journal of Nutritional Science.
  • Member of Editorial Board for Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
  • Member of the Nutrition Society

Latest Publications

View My Publications

Research

Research Overview

Micronutrients and heavy metals and health

My research interests lie primarily in identifying the role of micronutrients in health and disease. This work involves accurately quantifying micronutrient levels within different food products within the diet and also in developing tools to assess their bioavailability within the body.

I have also recently developed an interest in heavy metals and their effects on health. Heavy metals including mercury, cadmium and lead can be ingested from the diet and evidence suggests that certain micronutrients play a role in alleviating their toxicity within the body.

This research will help the food industry to make healthier products and provide information on how micronutrients act to promote health.

Current Research

We have been investigating the function of dietary fatty acids and micronutrients in human health and disease and in particular cardiovascular disease (CVD). Using a model of heart disease we have shown that consuming a high fat diet lacking one micronutrient (selenium) increases heart disease more compared to consumption of the same diet containing selenium. Furthermore, these effects correlated with the levels of ‘bad’ fatty acids within the bloodstream. Additionally, other studies have shown that selenium has an anti-inflammatory effect both within immune cells and endothelial cells (which line the inside of blood vessels) and that it can reduce the interaction between these cell types, which is an important early step in heart disease development. More recent work has involved investigating nutrient-nutrient interactions relevant to CVD.

Currently, we are investigating the effects of seasonality and location on shellfish micronutrient levels and the effect of regular shellfish consumption on modulating micronutrient status in humans. These studies have ranged from measuring conventional markers of nutrient intake, to developing tools to assess micronutrient bioavailability as well as developing improved markers to assess micronutrient status and have encompassed work at both cellular and tissue level and intervention studies within animal models and in humans.

The objective of this work has been to obtain evidence for the involvement of specific nutrients in promoting health and alleviating disease in order to provide more informed dietary advice on their optimum requirements within the population. Previous work has focused on how the changing composition of feedstuffs within the aquaculture and dairy industries driven by issues of sustainability, impact on ultimate product nutritional quality and the likely influence on health for the consumer. Funding from the Wellcome Trust and British Heart Foundation have also investigated the influence of genotype and chemical speciation on micronutrient function, bioavailability and health.

Funding and Grants

  • BBSRC Biofortification Hub Proof of Concept Funding: 'Maximising nutrient levels in seaweeds'
  • RESAS (Scottish Government): 'Risk-benefit analysis of Scottish seaweeds as a sustainable food source'
  • RESAS (Scottish Government): Improving primary produce; Food Safety; Improvement of livestock.
  • Industrial Funding: ‘Crab consumption, cadmium and health; do crabmeat consumers have a greater cadmium burden compared to non-crabmeat consumers?
  • IMMANA: Aquatic Food for Health and Nutrition (AQN): A metric for assessing the impacts on nutrition and health of agroecosystems producing farmed seafood.
  • Elphinstone PhD studentship:‘The effect of selected micronutrients on endothelial cell function with relevance to atherosclerosis’
  • Encompass Kick-start Award: “Developing bioactive mapping in seaweeds as a quality assurance tool” (co-applicant)
  • Fraserburgh Moonlight Prowl PhD studentship: ‘Omega-3 endocannabinoids: novel anticancer lipid ethanolamides’.
  • RESAS (Scottish Government), Healthy and safe diets.
  • British Heart Foundation: ‘Atherosclerosis: the effect of selenium speciation and dose’.
  • Wellcome Trust Project Grant: ‘Interaction of selenium, fatty acids and a polymorphism in GPX4 in modulating vascular function’.  
Teaching

Programmes

Courses

Teaching Responsibilities

Programme coordinator for MSc, PGDip and PGCert in CLINICAL NUTRITION

Course Co-ordinator for RN5507 'Nutrition and Health' (since 2016)

 

Lecturer/contributor on MSc Human Nutrition programme (RN5003 Foundations of Nutrition, RN5507 Nutrition and Health)

Lecturer/contributor on MSc Cardiovascular Science and Diabetes programme (RN5507 Nutrition and Health)

Lecturer/contributor on MSc Clinical Nutrition programme (RN5001 Fundamentals of Human Nutrition and Metabolism)

Supervision of MSc Human Nutrition and MSc Clinical Nutrition research projects (PU5922 Masters Research Project, MB5904 Masters Research Project (Laboratory))

PhD supervisor 

Non-course Teaching Responsibilities

Personal Tutoring

Publications

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  • Effect of a conjugated linoleic acid and omega-3 fatty acid mixture on body composition and adiponectin

    Sneddon, A. A., Tsofliou, F., Fyfe, C., Matheson, I., Jackson, D., Horgan, G. W., Winzell, M. S., Wahle, K. W. J., Ahren, B., Williams, L.
    Obesity, vol. 16, no. 5, pp. 1019-1024
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Effects of age and obesity on 24-hour heart rate variability in healthy lean and obese, young and older men

    Tsofliou, F., Jackson, D., Fyfe, C., Sneddon, A. A., Wahle, K. W. J., Williams, L.
    International Journal of Obesity, vol. 32, no. Supplement 1, pp. S112
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Regulation of adhesion molecule expression in human endothelial and smooth muscle cells by omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acids: Involvement of the transcription factor NF-κB?

    Goua, M., Mulgrew, S., Frank, J., Rees, D., Sneddon, A. A., Wahle, K. W. J.
    Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, vol. 78, no. 1, pp. 33-43
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • The effects of fish oil and DHA on soluble epoxide hydrolase in apoE-/- mice

    Mavrommatis, Y. I., Thies, F., Ross, K., Gordon, M. J., McLeod, E., Sneddon, A. A., Rucklidge, G. J., Reid, M. D., Duncan, G. J., Mayer, C., Horgan, G., Arthur, J., De Roos, B.
    Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, vol. 66, no. Supplement OCA-B , 103A
    Contributions to Journals: Abstracts

  • Cytokine-induced monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells involves platelet-activating factor: suppression by conjugated linoleic acid

    Sneddon, A. A., McLeod, E., Wahle, K. W. J., Arthur, J.
    Biochimica et Biophysica Acta. Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids, vol. 1761, no. 7, pp. 793-801
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Induction of apoptosis and inhibition of NF-kappa B activation in human prostate cancer cells by the cis-9, trans-11 but not the trans-10, cis-12 isomer of conjugated linoleic acid

    Song, H. J., Sneddon, A. A., Heys, S. D., Wahle, K. W. J.
    The Prostate, vol. 66, no. 8, pp. 839-846
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Platelet-activating factor mediates cytokine-induced monocyte adhesion to endothelium: Suppression by conjugated linoleic acid

    Sneddon, A. A., McLeod, E., Wahle, K. W. J., Arthur, J.
    Atherosclerosis Supplements, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 222-223
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Plasma adiponectin levels after a high-fat meal and a standard mixed meal in lean and obese, young and older men.

    Tsofliou, F., Fyfe, C., Matheson, C. I., Sneddon, A. A., Jackson, D., Wahle, K. W. J., Williams, L.
    Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, vol. 65, no. Suppl. S, pp. 98A
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Moderate maternal vitamin A deficiency alters myogenic regulatory protein expression and perinatal organ growth in the rat

    Downie, D., Antipatis, C., Delday, M. I., Maltin, C., Sneddon, A. A.
    American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology, vol. 288, no. 1, pp. R73-R79
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Conjugated linoleic acid regulates basal and inducible cytokine expression in endothelial cells

    Sneddon, A. A., McLeod, E., Wahle, K. W. J., Arthur, J.
    Scientific Meeting of the Nutrition Society (2004), pp. 59A
    Contributions to Journals: Abstracts

  • ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 regulation by conjugated linoleic acids in human umbilical vein endothelial cells: involvement of the NFK kappa B pathway

    Goua, M., Sneddon, A. A., Mulgrew, S., Wahle, K. W. J.
    45th International Conference on the Bioscience of Lipids, pp. 38-38
    Contributions to Journals: Abstracts

  • Conjugated linoleic acid inhibits proliferation and modulates protein kinase C isoforms in human prostate cancer cells

    Song, H. J., Sneddon, A. A., Barker, P. A., Bestwick, C., Choe, S. N., McClinton, S., Grant, I., Rotondo, D., Heys, S. D., Wahle, K. W. J.
    Nutrition and Cancer, vol. 49, pp. 100-108
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Regulation of selenoprotein GPx4 expression and activity in human endothelial cells by fatty acids, cytokines and antioxidants

    Sneddon, A. A., Wu, H. C., Farquharson, A., Grant, I., Arthur, J., Rotondo, D., Choe, S. N., Wahle, K. W. J.
    Atherosclerosis, vol. 171, no. 1, pp. 57-65
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Acute alcohol administration inhibits the refeeding response after starvation in rat skeletal muscle

    Sneddon, A. A., Koll, M., Wallace, M. C., Jones, J., Miell, J. P., Garlick, P. J., Preedy, V. R.
    American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism, vol. 284, pp. 874-882
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • The importance of alcohol-induced muscle disease

    Preedy, V. R., Ohlendieck, K., Adachi, J., Koll, M., Sneddon, A. A., Hunter, R., Rajendram, R., Mantle, D., Peters, T.
    Journal of Muscle Research and Cell Motility, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 55-63
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Elevated IGF-II mRNA and phosphorylation of 4E-BP1 and p70(S6k) in muscle showing clenbuterol-induced anabolism

    Sneddon, A. A., Delday, M. I., Steven, J., Maltin, C.
    American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism, vol. 281, no. 4, pp. 676-682
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Impact of manipulations of myogenesis in utero on the performance of adult skeletal muscle

    Maltin, C., Delday, M. I., Sinclair, K. D., Steven, J., Sneddon, A. A.
    Reproduction, vol. 122, no. 3, pp. 359-374
    Contributions to Journals: Literature Reviews

  • Fatty Acid Regulation of Protein Kinase C Isoforms in Prostate Cancer Cells

    Pandian, S., Sneddon, A. A., Bestwick, C., McClinton,, S., Grant, I., Wahle, K. W. J., Heys, S.
    Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, vol. 283, no. 4, pp. 806-812
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Amelioration of denervation-induced atrophy by clenbuterol is associated with increased PKC-alpha activity

    Sneddon, A. A., Delday, M. I., Maltin, C.
    American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism, vol. 279, no. 1, pp. 188-196
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Isolation of the human genes encoding the pyst1 and Pyst2 phosphatases: characterisation of Pyst2 as a cytosolic dual-specificity MAP kinase phosphatase and its catalytic activation by both MAP and SAP kinases

    Dowd, S., Sneddon, A. A., Keyse, S. M.
    Journal of Cell Science, vol. 111 ( Pt 22), pp. 3389-99
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Differential regulation of the MAP, SAP and RK/p38 kinases by Pyst1, a novel cytosolic dual-specificity phosphatase

    Groom, L. A., Sneddon, A. A., Alessi, D. R., Dowd, S., Keyse, S. M.
    EMBO Journal, vol. 15, no. 14, pp. 3621-32
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • A regulated MET3-GLC7 gene fusion provides evidence of a mitotic role for Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein phosphatase 1

    Black, S., Andrews, P. D., Sneddon, A. A., Stark, M. J.
    Yeast, vol. 11, no. 8, pp. 747-59
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • XCL100, an inducible nuclear MAP kinase phosphatase from Xenopus laevis: its role in MAP kinase inactivation in differentiated cells and its expression during early development

    Lewis, T., Groom, L. A., Sneddon, A. A., Smythe, C., Keyse, S. M.
    Journal of Cell Science, vol. 108 ( Pt 8), pp. 2885-96
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Genetic analyses of yeast protein serine/threonine phosphatases

    Stark, M. J., Black, S., Sneddon, A. A., Andrews, P. D.
    FEMS Microbiology Letters, vol. 117, no. 2, pp. 121-30
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Inactivation of the protein phosphatase 2A regulatory subunit A results in morphological and transcriptional defects in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    van Zyl, W., Huang, W., Sneddon, A. A., Stark, M., Camier, S., Werner, M., Marck, C., Sentenac, A., Broach, J. R.
    Molecular and Cellular Biology, vol. 12, no. 11, pp. 4946-4959
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
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