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 247: Intergenerational Signals w/ Dr. Haley Ragsdale: A DOHaD Lens on Human Reproduction
Sausage of Science
35 minutes 52 seconds
2 months ago
SoS 247: Intergenerational Signals w/ Dr. Haley Ragsdale: A DOHaD Lens on Human Reproduction
Chris and Courtney sit down with Dr. Haley Ragsdale to discuss intergenerational signals of matrilineal experience. Haley completed her dissertation in Anthropology at Northwestern University in 2023 under the guidance of Dr. Chris Kuzawa. She is now a postdoctoral researcher in the Anthropology Department at the University of Illinois Chicago, collaborating with Dr. Katie Starkweather on fascinating projects related to maternal and child health among the Shodagor of Bangladesh. Haley’s work is deeply rooted in evolutionary theory and the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) framework, with a focus on human reproductive biology. She explores how energetic experiences shape lifetime metabolic strategies and how reproductive investments are influenced by varying environmental contexts. Currently, she’s diving into the mechanisms behind intergenerational signals of matrilineal experience and predictive adaptive responses in humans.
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Find the paper discussed in this episode:
Ragsdale, H. B., Lee, N. R., & Kuzawa, C. W. (2024). Evidence that highly canalized fetal traits are sensitive to intergenerational effects of maternal developmental nutrition. American Journal of Biological Anthropology, 183(4), e24883. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.24883
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Contact Haley: E-mail: hragsd2@uic.edu website: https://haleyragsdale.squarespace.com/; Google Scholar
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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
Courtney Manthey, Guest-Co-Host, Website: holylaetoli.com/ E-mail: cpierce4@uccs.edu, Twitter: @HolyLaetoli
Cristina Gildee, 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,
