Since completion of my PhD on selenium biochemistry in 1999 I have undertaken postdoctoral research roles at the Medical College of Wisconsin, US, the Dunn Human Nutrition Unit in Cambridge and the BBSRC Institute of Food Research in Norwich. I subsequently joined the Nutrition Department at UEA as a Senior Research Associate in 2007.
 

Research interests

• Selenium and prostate cancer prevention, including mechanisms of action of different dietary forms of selenium on extracellular matrix proteins and inhibition of cancer progression
• Identification of novel biomarkers of selenium status
• Selenium intake-status relationship and associated health outcome
• Health effects of selenium deficiency and potential impact of Se-biofortified food

I am a member of the Nutrition Department in the Norwich Medical School working with Professor Fairweather-Tait and colleagues on the EURRECA (European Micronutrient Recommendations Aligned) Network of Excellence. The network has 35 partners from 18 countries and aims to provide evidence based methodologies to standardise the process of setting micronutrient recommendations across Europe (www.eurreca.org). We are currently involved with the review of evidence for the relationship between selenium intake, status and health.

Related particular research interests include: selenium status and immune function in the UK and novel biomarkers of selenium status (randomised controlled human trial - http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00279812); the role of dietary relevant forms of selenium on prostate cancer prevention (including the effects of selenium on modulation of different types of collagen and other extracellular matrix proteins); and a keen interest in selenium and multiple micronutrient deficiency health problems.

Selected Publications

Goldson AJ, Fairweather-Tait SJ, Armah CN, Bao Y, Broadley MR, Dainty JR, Furniss C, Hart D, Teucher B, Hurst R (2011) Effects of selenium supplementation on selenoprotein gene expression and response to influenza vaccine challenge: a randomised controlled trial. PLoS One 21:e14771 http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0014771

Hart DJ, Fairweather-Tait SJ, Broadley MR, Dickinson SJ, Foot I, Knott P, McGrath SP, Mowat H, Norman K, Scott PR, Stroud JL, Tucker M, White PJ, Zhao FJ, Hurst R (2011) Selenium concentration and speciation in biofortified flour and bread: Retention of selenium during grain biofortification, processing and production of Se-enriched food. Food Chemistry.126: 1771-1778.

Fairweather-Tait SJ, Bao Y, Broadley MR, Collings R, Ford D, Hesketh J, Hurst R (2011) Selenium in human health and disease Antioxid Redox Signal 14(7): 1337-1383.

Hurst R, Armah CN, Hart DJ, Teucher B, Dainty JR, Goldson AJ, Broadley MR, Motley AK and Fairweather-Tait SJ (2010) Establishing optimal selenium status: results of a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Am J Clin Nut 91(4): 923-31.

Fairweather-Tait SJ, Collings R and Hurst R (2010) Selenium bioavailability: current knowledge and future research requirements Am J Clin Nut 91 (5):1484S-1491S.

Hurst R and Fairweather-Tait SJ (2009). Selenium and vitamin E supplementation for cancer prevention JAMA 301:1876-7.

Ashton K, Hooper L, Harvey LJ, Hurst R, Casgrain A and Fairweather-Tait SJ (2009). Methods of assessment of selenium status in humans: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nut 89:2025S-39S.

Broadley MR, Alcock J, Alford J, Cartwright P, Foot I, Fairweather-Tait SJ, Hart DJ, Hurst R, Knott P, McGrath SP, Meacham MC, Norman K, Mowat H, Scott P, Stroud JL, Tovey M, Tucker M, White PJ, Young SD, Zhao F-J (2010) Selenium biofortification of high-yielding winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) by liquid or granular Se fertilisation. Plant and Soil. 332, 1-2;5-18.

Hurst R, Elliott RM, Goldson AJ, Fairweather-Tait SJ (2008) Se-methylselenocysteine alters collagen gene and protein expression in human prostate cells. Cancer Lett 269, 117-26.

Hurst R, Korytowski W, Kriska T, Esworthy RS, Chu FF and Girotti AW (2001) Hyperresistance to cholesterol hydroperoxide-induced peroxidative injury and apoptotic death in a tumor cell line that overexpresses glutathione peroxidase isotype-4. Free Radic Biol Med, 31, 1051-65.