Bio: Dr Taryn Smith is a post-doctoral researcher within the Institute for Global Nutrition at the University of California Davis. She holds a PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Surrey, UK, where her research focused on conducting a randomised controlled trial to estimate the dietary requirements for vitamin D in adolescents aged 14-18 years. Her current post-doctoral research extends her interest in the effects of micronutrient deficiencies in high-risk population groups in low resource settings, with a particular emphasis on thiamine deficiency disorders among infants and their mothers in South and Southeast Asia. She is also interested in interventions and public health strategies to improve nutritional status and health in population groups at risk of micronutrient deficiencies, including infants, children, adolescents and pregnant and lactating women.
Project summary: Thiamine deficiency, including the most severe form infantile beriberi, continues to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality among predominantly breastfed infants in South and Southeast Asia, and is largely attributable to maternal thiamine deficiency and insufficient breastmilk thiamine resulting from monotonous diets relying on thiamine-poor white rice. Diagnosis of infantile thiamine deficiency is challenging due to the highly variable, non-specific clinical manifestations, referred to as thiamine deficiency disorders (TDD), that often overlap with other conditions and illnesses. It is therefore suspected that there may be a high rate of misdiagnosis among at-risk populations, leading to missed or delayed treatment. Considering these diagnostic uncertainties, we have recently completed a study in Lao PDR to develop a case definition and practical clinical diagnosis tool for thiamine responsive disorders, to help healthcare providers more accurately diagnose and treat TDD. The IMMANA Fellowship will extend this research and aims to determine the usefulness of the case definition and practical diagnosis tool in different contexts in South and Southeast Asia where TDD have been reported. Secondly, extensive data will be collected on the diet, maternal and household risk factors for thiamine deficiency in different contexts, with the goal of developing a risk factor screening tool to better identify populations at risk of thiamine deficiency and help advocate for and guide the planning of preventive food-based programmes.