Newcastle University

 Background

I am a clinical scientist with an interest in nutrition, endothelial function and chronic metabolic diseases. I am part of the Human Nutrition Research Centre at the Institute for Ageing and Health.    

Qualifications

- 2006-2011 PhD in Nutrition and Human Physiology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

- 2002-2003 MSc in Public Health Nutrition, LSHTM, London, UK 

- 1998-2002 Specialization in Clinical Nutrition, University of Naples “Federico II”, Italy

- 1992-1998 Medical Degree, University of Naples “Federico II”, Italy  

Employment History

- 2012-Present Lecturer Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle University, UK

- 2011 Visiting Research Fellow, NIDDK, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA

- 2005-2010 Clinical Fellow, Obesity Clinic, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, UK

- 2004-2010 Clinical Scientist, MRC Human Nutrition Research, Cambridge, UK

Affiliated Faculty

- Visiting Research Fellow – University of Naples “Federico II”, Italy  

Certification and Specialty Boards

- 2009    Board Certification (UK) in Public Health Nutrition

- 2005    National Boards (UK) in Medicine and Surgery (Full GMC registration)

- 2003    Board Certification (Italy) in Clinical Nutrition  

Professional Memberships

Association Study of Obesity (UK), Obesity Society (US), Nutrition Society (UK)

 Research Interests

 - Obesity, ageing and cardiometabolic risk

 - Sarcopenic obesity: assessment, diagnosis and clinical relevance

- Endothelial function, nitric oxide and insulin resistance

- Inorganic nitrate, endothelial function and cardiometabolic risk

- Added sugar and fructose intake, endothelial function and cardiometabolic risk

Research Methods

- Assessment of body composition using multi-compartment models

- Measurement of energy expenditure

- In vivo measurement of endothelial and metabolic function using stable isotopes

- Frequent Sampling Intravenous Glucose Tolerance Testing

- Stable Isotope Analysis

- Risk prediction and longitudinal modelling

Esteem Indicators

- Editorial Board (Clinical Obesity). Reviewer for several medical journals  

- Invited Speaker (FESIN Lecture, Italian Nutrition Society Meeting, Naples, Italy, 2011; EURRECA Conference on Nutrition and Ageing, Rome, Italy, 2008; Spanish Obesity Society Meeting, Saragoza, Spain, 2007). 

Current Projects

- Effects of inorganic nitrate on insulin sensitivity in middle-aged and older obese subjects (Role: PI)

- Acute effects of violent videogame on cardiovascular function and appetite in young normal weight men (Role: Co-PI)

- Effect of chronic hypoxia on insulin resistance and nitric oxide metabolites (Role: Collaborator). 

- Effect of isometric training and beet root juice on blood pressure in overweight and obese older subjects (Role: Co-PI)

- Effects of rate and extent of weight loss on body composition, energy metabolism and nitogen balance  in obese men (Role: Co-PI)

- Developmement of BMI-specific reference body composition curves in the NHANES database. (Co-PI).

- Effect of added sugar and fructose intake on cardiometabolic health and cognition (Role: Co-PI)

- Body image, obesity and weight loss expectations in older obese women (Role: Co-PI)

- Birth order, early life programming and cardiometabolic health (Role: Co-PI) 

• Siervo M, Ruggiero D, Sorice R, Nutile T, Aversano M, Iafusco M, Vetrano F, Wells JC, Stephan BC, Ciullo M. Body mass index is directly associated with biomarkers of angiogenesis and inflammation in children and adolescents. Nutrition 2012, 28(3), 262-266.
• Siervo M, Jackson SJ, Bluck LCJ. In vivo nitric oxide synthesis is reduced in obese subjects with metabolic syndrome: application of a novel stable isotopic method. Journal of Hypertension 2011, 29(8), 1515-1527.
• Siervo M, Arnold R, Wells JC, Tagliabue A, Colantuoni A, Albanese E, Brayne C, Stephan BC. Intentional weight loss in overweight and obese individuals and cognitive function: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Obesity Reviews 2011, 12(11), 968-983.
• Siervo M, Stephan B. Is endothelial-independent vascular reactivity compromised in obese subjects with metabolic syndrome?. American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism 2011, 301(1), E242-243.
• Siervo M, Stephan BC, Feelisch M, Bluck LJ. Measurement of in vivo nitric oxide synthesis in humans using stable isotopic methods: a systematic review. Free Radical Biology & Medicine 2011, 51(4), 795-804.
• Siervo M, Wells JC, Brayne C, Stephan BC. Reemphasizing the role of fructose intake as a risk factor for dementia. Journals of Gerontology. Series A: Biological Sciences & Medical Sciences 2011, 66A(5), 534-536.
• Siervo M, Ruggiero D, Sorice R, Nutile T, Aversano M, Stephan BC, Ciullo M. Angiogenesis and biomarkers of cardiovascular risk in adults with metabolic syndrome. Journal of Internal Medicine 2010, 268(4), 338-347.
• Stephan BC, Siervo M. Does the improvement in insulin sensitivity mediate the beneficial effects of weight loss on cognitive function?. Hypertension 2010, 56(3), e30.
• Siervo M, Horta BL, Stephan BC, Victora CG, Wells JC. First-borns carry a higher metabolic risk in early adulthood: evidence from a prospective cohort study. PLoS One 2010, 5(11), e13907.
• Stephan BC, Wells JC, Brayne C, Albanese E, Siervo M. Increased fructose intake as a risk factor for dementia. Journals of Gerontology. Series A: Biological Sciences & Medical Sciences 2010, 65(8), 809-814.
• Siervo M, Faber P, Gibney ER, Lobley GE, Elia M, Stubbs RJ, Johnstone AM. Use of the cellular model of body composition to describe changes in body water compartments after total fasting, very low calorie diet and low calorie diet in obese men. International Journal of Obesity 2010, 34(5), 908-918.
• Wells JCK, Williams JE, Haroun D, Fewtrell MS, Colantuoni A, Siervo M. Aggregate predictions improve accuracy when calculating metabolic parameters. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2009, 89(2), 491-499.
• Siervo M, Frühbeck G, Dixon A, Goldberg GR, Coward WAC, Murgatroyd P, Prentice AM, Jebb SA. Efficiency of auto-regulatory homeostatic responses to imposed caloric excess in lean men. American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism 2008, 294(2), E416-424.
• Stephan BC, Hunter S, Harris D, Llewellyn DJ, Siervo M, Matthews FE, Brayne C. The neuropathological profile of mild cognitive impairment (MCI): a systematic review. Molecular Psychiatry 2011, e-publication ahead of print.
• Siervo M, Stephan BC, Nasti G, Colantuoni A. Ageing, adiposity indexes and low muscle mass in a clinical sample of overweight and obese women. Obesity Research & Clinical Practice 2012, 6(1), e63-e70.
• Siervo M, Bluck LJ. In vivo nitric oxide synthesis, insulin sensitivity, and asymmetric dimethylarginine in obese subjects without and with metabolic syndrome. Metabolism 2012, 61(5), 680-688.
• Montagnese C, Williams JE, Haroun D, Siervo M, Fewtrell MS, Wells JC. Is a single bioelectrical impedance equation valid for children of wide ranges of age, pubertal status and nutritional status? Evidence from the 4-component model. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2013, 67, S34-S39.
• Siervo M. Direct association between dietary cholesterol intake and blood pressure: too good to be 'entirely' true. Journal of Hypertension 2011, 29(2), 194-197.
• Siervo M, Stephan BC, Colantuoni A, Wells JC. First-borns have a higher metabolic rate and carry a higher metabolic risk in young women attending a weight loss clinic. Eating and Weight Disorders 2011, 16(3), e171-176.
• Wells JC, Siervo M. Obesity and energy balance: is the tail wagging the dog?. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2011, 65(11), 1173-1189.
• Siervo M, Corander M, Stranges S, Bluck L. Post-challenge hyperglycaemia, nitric oxide production and endothelial dysfunction: the putative role of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA). Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases 2011, 21(1), 1-10.
• Siervo M, Corander M, Mander AP, Browning LM, Jebb SA. Acute effects of hyperglycaemia on asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), adiponectin and inflammatory markers (IL-6, hs-CRP) in overweight and obese women with metabolic syndrome. British Journal of Biomedical Science 2010, 67(4), 216-218.
• Siervo M, Wells JC. Aggregate prediction of resting energy expenditure may perform better than individual estimates. Clinical Nutrition 2010, 29(5), 693-694.
• Siervo M, Jebb SA. Body composition assessment: theory into practice: introduction of multicompartment models. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine 2010, 29(1), 48-59.
• Siervo M, Capuano L, Colantuoni A. Physiology and in vivo measurements of nitric oxide in man. La Clinica Terapeutica 2010, 161(2), 173-183.
• Siervo M, Wells JC, Cizza G. The contribution of psychosocial stress to the obesity epidemic: an evolutionary approach. Hormone and Metabolic Research 2009, 29(4), 261-270.
• Jackson SJ, Siervo M, Persson E, McKenna LM, Bluck LJ. A novel derivative for the assessment of urinary and salivary nitrate using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 2008, 22(24), 4158-4164.
• Siervo M, Labanca F, Colantuoni A. Validity of some prediction equations to assess resting energy expenditure (REE) in 29 elderly obese subjects (>60 years). Eating and Weight Disorders 2008, 13(1), e14-e19.
• Siervo M, Davies AA, Jebb SA, Jalil F, Moore SE, Prentice AM. Ethnic differences in the association between body mass index and impedance index (Ht2/Z) in adult women and men using a leg-to-leg bioimpedance method. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2007, 61(11), 1337-1340.
• Jebb SA, Siervo M, Murgatroyd PR, Evans S, Frühbeck G, Prentice AM. Validity of the leg-to-leg bioimpedance to estimate changes in body fat during weight loss and regain in overweight women: a comparison with multi-compartment models. International Journal of Obesity 2007, 31(5), 756-762.
• Boschi V, Bellini O, Matrone G, Lo-Schiavo FR, Siervo M. Why do normal weight young women look for diet-therapy? Findings from a pilot study in a clinical and non-clinical population. Eating and Weight Disorders 2007, 12(2), e35-e38.
• Siervo M, Grey P, Ryan O, Prentice AM. A pilot study on body image, attractiveness and body size in Gambians living in an urban community. Eating and Weight Disorders 2006, 11(2), 100-109.
• Rennie K, Siervo M, Jebb SA. Can self-reported dieting and dietary restraint identify underreporters of energy intake in dietary surveys?. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 2006, 106(10), 1667-1672.
• Siervo M, Grey P, Nyan O, Prentice AM. Urbanization and obesity in The Gambia: a country in the early stages of the demographic transition. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2006, 60(4), 455-463.
• Jebb SA, Siervo M, Frühbeck G, Goldberg GR, Murgatroyd PR, Prentice AM. Variability of appetite control mechanisms in response to 9 weeks of progressive overfeeding in humans. International Journal of Obesity 2006, 30(7), 1160-1162.
• Siervo M, Boschi V, Papa A, Bellini O, Falconi C. Application of the SCOFF, Eating Attitude Test 26 (EAT 26) and Eating Inventory (TFEQ) Questionnaires in young women seeking diet-therapy. Eating and Weight Disorders 2005, 10(2), 76-82.
• Boschi V, Siervo M, D'Orsi P, Margiotta N, Trapanese E, Basile F, Nasti G, Papa A, Bellini O, Falconi C. Body composition, eating behavior, food-body concerns and eating disorders in adolescent girls. In: 9th European Nutrition Conference. 2003, Rome, Italy: S. Karger AG.
• Siervo M, Boschi V, Falconi C. Which REE prediction equation should we use in normal-weight, overweight and obese women?. Clinical Nutrition 2003, 22(2), 193-204.
• Boschi V, Siervo M, Nasti G, Trapanese E, D'Orsi P, Augelli E, Papa A, Margiotta N, Bellini O, Falconi C. Interdisciplinary treatment of a female outpatient population. Organizational model and preliminary results. Eating and Weight Disorders 2002, 7(4), 268-275.
• Stephan BCM, Minett T, Pagett E, Siervo M, Brayne C, McKeith IG. Diagnosing Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in clinical trials: a systematic review. BMJ Open 2013, 3(2), e001909.
• Siervo M, Montagnese C, Muscariello E, Evans E, Stephan BCM, Nasti G, Papa A, Iannetti E, Colantuoni A. Weight loss expectations and body dissatisfaction in young women attempting to lose weight. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 2013. In Press.
• Siervo M, Nasti G, Stephan BC, Papa A, Muscariello E, Wells JC, Prado CM, Colantuoni A. Effects of intentional weight loss on physical and cognitive function in middle-aged and older obese participants: a pilot study. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 2012, 31(2), 79-86.
• Prado CM, Wells JC, Smith SR, Stephan BC, Siervo M. Sarcopenic obesity: A Critical appraisal of the current evidence. Clinical Nutrition 2012, 31(5), 583-601.
• Siervo M, Tomatis V, Stephan BCM, Bluck LJC. Vegf is indirectly associated with no production and acutely increases in response to hyperglycaemia. In: 26th Annual Conference of HEART-UK. 2012, Newcastle upon Tyne: Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
• Siervo M, Wells JC, Stephan BC. Workplace environment and risk of hypertension: is obesity on the causal pathway?. Journal of Hypertension 2012, 30(6), 1106-1107.
• Browning LM, Krebs J, Siervo M, Allison M, Finer N, Hall R, Jebb SA. Inflammation is associated with liver function markers, independent of other metabolic risk factors in overweight women. British Journal of Diabetes & Vascular Disease 2008, 8(2), 73-76.