Keith Godfrey - Selected Publications#

Google scholar H-index 90 (~40,000 citations, i10-index 389)

1. Godfrey KM, Barton SJ, El-Heis S, Kenealy T, Nield H, Baker PN, Chong YS, Cutfield W, Chan SY, NiPPeR Study Group. Myo-inositol, Probiotics and Micronutrient Supplementation from Preconception for Glycemia in Pregnancy: NiPPeR International Multi-center Double-blind Randomized Controlled Trial. Diabetes Care – epub 29 March 2021.

Chief investigator and first author on this paper providing evidence from the NiPPeR multicentre randomised controlled trial that a maternal nutritional intervention preconception and pregnancy substantially decreased the incidence of preterm birth, particularly the cases associated with preterm pre-labour rupture of membranes.

2. Antoun E, Kitaba NT, Titcombe P, Dalrymple KV, Garratt ES, Barton SJ, Murray R, Seed PT, Holbrook JD, Kobor MS, Lin DT, MacIsaac JL, Burdge GC, White SL, Poston L*, Godfrey KM*, Lillycrop KA* (*joint senior authors). Maternal dysglycaemia, changes in the infant's epigenome modified with a diet and physical activity intervention in pregnancy: Secondary analysis of a randomised control trial. PLoS Med. 2020;17(11):e1003229.

First randomised controlled tria to show that a dietary and exercise intervention in pregnancy can attenuate the epigenetic changes in the child associated with maternal gestational dysglycemia.

3. Migliavacca E, Tay SKH, Patel HP, Sonntag T, Civiletto G, McFarlane C, Forrester T, Barton SJ, Leow MK, Antoun E, Charpagne A, Seng Chong Y, Descombes P, Feng L, Francis-Emmanuel P, Garratt ES, Giner MP, Green CO, Karaz S, Kothandaraman N, Marquis J, Metairon S, Moco S, Nelson G, Ngo S, Pleasants T, Raymond F, Sayer AA, Ming Sim C, Slater-Jefferies J, Syddall HE, Fang Tan P, Titcombe P, Vaz C, Westbury LD, Wong G, Yonghui W, Cooper C, Sheppard A, Godfrey KM*, Lillycrop KA*, Karnani N*, Feige JN* (*joint senior authors). Mitochondrial oxidative capacity and NAD+ biosynthesis are reduced in human sarcopenia across ethnicities. Nat Commun. 2019 Dec 20;10(1):5808.

The first whole transcriptome analysis of muscle tissue from individuals with sarcopenia and healthy aged matched controls, showing that the major transcriptional signal associated with sarcopenia is mitochrondrial dysfunction, associated with reduction in NAD+ biosynthesis.

4. Fleming TP, Watkins AM, Velazquez MA, Mathers JC, Prentice AM, Stephenson J, Barker ME, Saffery R, Yajnik CS, et al, Godfrey KM. Origins of lifetime health around the time of conception: causes and consequences. The Lancet 2018;391:1842-1852.

Senior author of highly-cited (387 cites) paper setting out the evidence for periconceptional induction of disease risk from maternal overnutrition/obesity, maternal undernutrition, paternal factors and the use of assisted reproductive treatment, along with a meta-analysis of mouse paternal and maternal protein undernutrition suggesting distinct parental periconceptional contributions to postnatal outcomes.

5. Lillycrop K, Murray RM, Cheong C, et al, EpiGen Consortium, Godfrey KM. ANRIL promoter DNA methylation: a perinatal marker for later adiposity. EBioMedicine 2017;19:60-72.

Senior author of this paper supporting epigenetic processes in mediating long-term consequences of early life environment on human health. Perinatal DNA methylation variations related to the long non-coding RNA ANRIL marked later adiposity risk, replicated across three populations and with relevant physiological effects of altering ANRIL methylation in vitro.

6. Godfrey KM, Reynolds RM, Prescott SL, Nyirenda M, Jaddoe VWV, Eriksson JG, Broekman BFP. The influence of maternal obesity on the long-term health of the offspring. The Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2017;5:53-64.

Highly cited (411 cites) systematic review of maternal obesity as a major determinant of offspring health during childhood and later adult life, with implications for public health, drawing attention to the need for effective interventions to reverse the epidemic of obesity in women of childbearing age and to mitigate consequences for offspring.

7. Patel N, Godfrey KM, Pasupathy D, Levin J, Flynn AC, Hayes L, Briley AL, Bell R, Lawlor DA, Oteng-Ntim E, et al. Infant adiposity following a randomised controlled trial of a behavioural intervention in obese pregnancy. Int J Obes 2017;41:1018-1026.

This paper provides evidence from follow-up of a randomised controlled trial that a maternal behavioural intervention in obese pregnant women has the potential to reduce infant adiposity and to produce a sustained improvement in maternal diet at 6 months postpartum.

8. Hanson M, Godfrey K, Poston L, Bustreo F, Stephenson J. Healthier mothers, healthier children: a new focus on preconception. Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer 2014, The Health of the 51%: Women. Ed Davies SC. London: Department of Health, 2015, Chapter 5, 53-66.

Chapter for the Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report highlighting the evidence which has led to recognition of the missed opportunity to promote health in women of reproductive age, particularly in the pre-conception period, alongside the move towards identifying effective interventions to improve the health of mothers and children.

9. Godfrey KM, Sheppard A, Gluckman PD, Lillycrop KA, Burdge GC, McLean C, Rodford J, Slater-Jefferies JL, Garratt E, Crozier SR, et al. Epigenetic gene promoter methylation at birth is associated with child’s later adiposity. Diabetes 2011;60:1528-34.

Highly cited (737 cites) paper providing the first substantive human evidence that epigenetic mechanisms are central to phenotypic alterations induced by the developmental environment, linking pregnancy nutrition to epigenetic changes that increase offspring susceptibility to childhood obesity.

10. Barker DJP, Gluckman PD, Godfrey KM, Harding J, Owens JA, Robinson JS. Fetal nutrition and adult disease. Lancet 1993;341:938-41.

Landmark paper (3030 cites) describing how fetal undernutrition at different stages of gestation can be linked to patterns of early growth linked with adult disease, hypothesising that fetal adaptations to undernutrition are associated with persisting changes in the levels of hormone secretion, and in the sensitivity of tissues to them.