This week on The Sausage of Science, Chris and Cristina explore pica (the craving and consumption of nonfood items like earth or clay) through the lens of maternal health and nutrition. Our guest, Dr. Leila Larson of the University of South Carolina, shares insights from her study on pica among pregnant women in Malawi, part of the REVAMP iron supplementation trial.
She discusses how iron status, infection, and environment influence maternal health, why intravenous iron may be a more effective approach to reducing pica, and what these cravings reveal about nutrition and development worldwide. We also hear about her new U.S.-based study and how she balances a vibrant global research career.
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Find the work discussed in this episode:
Larson, Leila M., Martin Mwangi, Rebecca Harding, Ernest Moya, Ricardo Ataíde, Glory Mzembe, Ashley Thurber et al. "Effects of ferric carboxymaltose on pica among pregnant women in Malawi: a sub-study to a randomized controlled trial." The Journal of Nutrition (2025).
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Contact Dr. Larson: LARSONL@mailbox.sc.edu
Website: thenelilab.com
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Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association:
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc
Chris Lynn, Host
Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: cdlynn@ua.edu, Twitter:@Chris_Ly
Cristina Gildee, Co-Host, Co-Producer, HBA Fellow
Website: cristinagildee.com, E-mail: cgildee@uw.edu,
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This week on The Sausage of Science, Chris and Cristina explore pica (the craving and consumption of nonfood items like earth or clay) through the lens of maternal health and nutrition. Our guest, Dr. Leila Larson of the University of South Carolina, shares insights from her study on pica among pregnant women in Malawi, part of the REVAMP iron supplementation trial.
She discusses how iron status, infection, and environment influence maternal health, why intravenous iron may be a more effective approach to reducing pica, and what these cravings reveal about nutrition and development worldwide. We also hear about her new U.S.-based study and how she balances a vibrant global research career.
------------------------------
Find the work discussed in this episode:
Larson, Leila M., Martin Mwangi, Rebecca Harding, Ernest Moya, Ricardo Ataíde, Glory Mzembe, Ashley Thurber et al. "Effects of ferric carboxymaltose on pica among pregnant women in Malawi: a sub-study to a randomized controlled trial." The Journal of Nutrition (2025).
------------------------------
Contact Dr. Larson: LARSONL@mailbox.sc.edu
Website: thenelilab.com
------------------------------
Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association:
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc
Chris Lynn, Host
Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: cdlynn@ua.edu, Twitter:@Chris_Ly
Cristina Gildee, Co-Host, Co-Producer, HBA Fellow
Website: cristinagildee.com, E-mail: cgildee@uw.edu,
SoS 245: Anamika Nanda - From Pool Laps to Brain Maps
Sausage of Science
32 minutes 49 seconds
3 months ago
SoS 245: Anamika Nanda - From Pool Laps to Brain Maps
In this episode, Chris and Cristina talk with Anamika Nanda, a PhD student in the Department of Biological Sciences and a Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) Fellow at the University of Southern California. Anamika’s research, conducted under the guidance of Dr. David Raichlen, examines how physical activity affects neurological health across various genotypes.
Before beginning her doctoral work, Anamika earned her Bachelor's degree in Medical Anthropology and Global Health from the University of Washington. Her award-winning honors thesis examined the relationship between motivation, physical activity, and psychosocial stress, and its impact on telomere length in collegiate swimmers and non-collegiate athletes.
We discuss her path into science, her interdisciplinary approach to understanding brain health, and how her work connects athletics, stress, and aging. Anamika’s research has been recognized with an NSF-GRFP Honorable Mention, the UW Anthropology Department’s Best Honors Thesis Award, and a Mary Gates Research Scholarship.
Tune in for an insightful conversation on the biology of movement, the value of interdisciplinary research, and what it means to study sports from a holistic perspective.
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Find the paper discussed in this episode:
Nanda, A., Logan, A., & Tennyson, R. L. (2024). The influence of perceived stress and motivation on telomere length among NCAA swimmers. American Journal of Human Biology, 36(9), e24091. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.24091
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Contact Anamika: E-mail: anamikan@usc.edu; LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anamika-nanda-168b9b199
------------------------------
Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association:
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc
Chris Lynn, Host
Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: cdlynn@ua.edu, Twitter:@Chris_Ly
Cristina Gildee, Co-host, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow
Website: cristinagildee.org, E-mail: cgildee@uw.edu
Sausage of Science
This week on The Sausage of Science, Chris and Cristina explore pica (the craving and consumption of nonfood items like earth or clay) through the lens of maternal health and nutrition. Our guest, Dr. Leila Larson of the University of South Carolina, shares insights from her study on pica among pregnant women in Malawi, part of the REVAMP iron supplementation trial.
She discusses how iron status, infection, and environment influence maternal health, why intravenous iron may be a more effective approach to reducing pica, and what these cravings reveal about nutrition and development worldwide. We also hear about her new U.S.-based study and how she balances a vibrant global research career.
------------------------------
Find the work discussed in this episode:
Larson, Leila M., Martin Mwangi, Rebecca Harding, Ernest Moya, Ricardo Ataíde, Glory Mzembe, Ashley Thurber et al. "Effects of ferric carboxymaltose on pica among pregnant women in Malawi: a sub-study to a randomized controlled trial." The Journal of Nutrition (2025).
------------------------------
Contact Dr. Larson: LARSONL@mailbox.sc.edu
Website: thenelilab.com
------------------------------
Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association:
Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc
Chris Lynn, Host
Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: cdlynn@ua.edu, Twitter:@Chris_Ly
Cristina Gildee, Co-Host, Co-Producer, HBA Fellow
Website: cristinagildee.com, E-mail: cgildee@uw.edu,
