Emeritus Professor Christine Thomson
Christine Thomson teaches sport and exercise nutrition: trace elements - iodine and selenium. Her research involves studies of the nutritional importance of selenium and iodine for New Zealand residents, including the estimation of selenium requirements, the role of selenium as an antioxidant in the protection against cardiovascular disease, the relationship between our low iodine status, thyroid status and thyroid volume, and the relationship between selenium status and thyroid function. She also has an interest in a number of sports nutrition research topics.
Recent Publications
Menon, K.C.S., Skeaff, S.A., Thomson, C.D., Gray, A.R., Ferguson, E.L., Zodpey, S., Saraf, A., Kumar Das, P., Toteja, G.S., Pandav, C.S. Concurrent micronutrient deficiencies are prevalent in nonpregnant rural and tribal women from central India. Nutrition xxx:1-7 (2010).
Krittaphol W, McDowell A, Thomson CD, Mikov M, Fawcett JP. Biotransformation of L-selenomethionine and selenite in rat gut contents. Biological Trace Element Research: DOI: 10.1007/s12011-010-8653-x. (2010)
Thomson, C.D., Campbell, J.M.,Miller, J, Skeaff, S.A., Livingstone, V. Selenium and iodine supplementation: effect on thyroid function of older New Zealanders. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 90:1038-1046 (2009).
Krittaphol W, McDowell A, Thomson CD, Tucker IG, Fawcett JP, Mikov M. An improved HPLC method for the investigation of L-selenomethionine metabolism in rat gut contents. Biomedical Chromatography 23: 1169-1174 (2009).
Thomson, C.D., Skeaff, S.A. Iodine status and deficiency disorders in New Zealand. In: Comprehensive Handbook on Iodine: Nutritional, Endocrine and Pathological Aspects. Eds V.R. Preedy, G.N. Burrow, R.R. Watson. Oxford: Academic Press, pp 1251-1258 (2009).
Heydon, E.E., Thomson, C.D., Mann, J., Williams, S.M., Skeaff, S.A., Sherpa, K.T., Heydon, J.L. Public Health Nutrition 12:1431-1436 (2009).
Thomson, C.D., Miller J. Association between selenium status and atopy in a cohort of children in Wellington and Christchurch. Report. Wellington: Ministry of Health, 2009.
Thomson, C.D., Chisholm, A., McLachlan, S.K., Campbell, J.M. Brazil nuts: an effective way to improve selenium status. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 87: 379-384 (2008).
Thomson, C,D., McLachlan, S., Parnell, W., Wilson, N., Wohlers, M., Scragg, R., Schaaf, D., Fitzgerald, E. Serum selenium concentrations and dietary selenium intake of New Zealand children aged 5-14 years. British Journal of Nutrition 97: 357-364 (2007)
Thomson, C.D. Selenium and Iodine. In: Essentials of Human Nutrition. 3rd edition. J.I. Mann and S. Truswell eds. Oxford: Oxford University Press Chapter 10, Trace Elements pp 145-151 (2007)
Thomson, C.D. Selovet to Selenome: Nutritional Requirements for selenium and iodine, 2006. Inaugural Professorial Lecture, University of Otago, 2006.
McLay, R.T., Thomson, C.D., Williams, S.M., Rehrer, N.J. Carbohydrate loading and female endurance athletes: effect of menstrual cycle phase. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism17: 189-205 (2007)
Krittaphol, W., Bailey, K.B., Pongcharoen, T., Winichagoon, P., Thomson, C., Gibson RS. Primary school children from northeast Thailand are not at risk of selenium deficiency. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 15 (4): 474-481 (2006)
Thomson, C.D. Selenium: Its role in health and disease. Muriel Bell Lecture, Combined Australian Nutrition Society and New Zealand Nutrition Society conference, Sydney, December 2006, Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2006; 15 (Suppl 3): S25-30.
Thomson, C.D., McLachlan, S.K., Grant, A.M., Paterson, E. and Lillico, A.J. The effect of selenium on thyroid status in a population with marginal selenium status. British Journal of Nutrition 94:962-968 (2005)
Skeaff S., Ferguson, E., Valeix, P., Gibson, R., Thomson, C.D. Are breast-fed infants and toddlers in New Zealand at risk of iodine deficiency? Nutrition: International Journal of Applied and Basic Nutritional Sciences 21(3):325-331 (2005)
Thomson, C.D. and McLachlan, S.K. Selenium status of New Zealand Children: The National Children's Nutrition Survey 2002. Wellington, Ministry of Health (2005)
Skeaff S., Thomson, C.D., McLachlan, S.K., Morgen A. Thyroid hormone status of Children from the 2002 National Children's Nutrition Survey 2002. Report for the Ministry of Health. Wellington, Ministry of Health (2005)
McLachlan, S.K., Thomson, C.D., Ferguson, E.L., McKenzie, J.E. Dietary and biochemical selenium status of urban 6- to 24- month-old South Island New Zealand children and their postpartum mothers. Journal of Nutrition 134: 3290-3294 (2004)
Thomson, C.D. Assessment of requirements for selenium and adequacy of selenium status; a review. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 58:391-402 (2004)
Thomson, C.D. Selenium and iodine intakes and status in New Zealand and Australia. British Journal of Nutrition, 91:661-672 (2004)
Thomson, C.D. Interaction between selenium and iodine in thyroid status. Metal Ions in Biology and Medicine, 8: 552-554 (2004)
de Jong N., Green, T.J., Skeaff, C.M., Gibson, R.S., McKenzie, J.E., Ferguson, E.L., Horwath, C.C. and Thomson, C.D. Vitamin B-12 and folate status of New Zealand older women: a cause for concern? Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 12:85-91 (2003)
Thomson, C.D. Selenium: Physiology. In Encyclopaedia of Food Science, Food Technology and Nutrition. B. Caballero, L.C. Trugo and P.M. Finglas eds. London, Academic Press pp 5117-5124 (2003)
Wilson, N., Scragg, R., Fitzgerald, E., Grant, C., Ferguson, E., Skeaff, S., Thomson, C., Gibson, R. Serum zinc, serum cholesterol and urinary iodine. In: NZ Food NZ Children: Key results of the 2002 National Children's Nutrition Survey. Wellington: Ministry of Health. (2003).
Important Past Publications
Skeaff, S.A., Thomson, C.D., Gibson, R.S., Mild iodine deficiency in a sample of New Zealand schoolchildren. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 56: 1-7 (2002)
de Jong N., Gibson, R.S., Thomson, C.D., Ferguson, E.L., McKenzie, J.E., Green, T.J. and Horwath, C.C. Selenium and zinc status are suboptimal in a sample of older New Zealand women in a community-based study. Journal of Nutrition 131: 2677-2684 (2001)
Thomson, C.D., Woodruffe, S., Colls, A.J., Joseph, J. and Doyle, T.C. Urinary iodine and thyroid status of New Zealand residents. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 55: 387-392 (2001)
Duffield, A.J., Thomson, C.D., Hill, K.E. and Williams, S. An estimation of selenium requirements for New Zealanders. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 70: 896-903 (1999)
Duffield, A.J. and Thomson, C.D. A comparison of assessment of dietary selenium intakes in Otago, New Zealand. British Journal of Nutrition 82: 131-138 (1999)
Thomson, C.D. Selenium speciation in human body fluids. Analyst 123: 827-831 (1998)
Thomson, C.D., Colls, A. J., Conaglen, J.V., Macormack, M., Stiles, M and Mann J. Iodine status of New Zealand residents as assessed by urinary iodide excretion and thyroid hormones. British Journal of Nutrition 78: 901-912 (1997)
Robinson, M.F., Thomson, C.D., Jenkinson, C., Luzhen, G. and Whanger, P.D. Long-term supplementation with selenate and selenomethionine: urinary excretion by New Zealand women. British Journal of Nutrition 77:551-563 (1997)
Thomson, C.D. and Robinson, M.F. The changing selenium status of New Zealand residents. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 50: 107-114 (1996)
Thomson, C.D. Robinson, M.F., Butler, J.A. and Whanger, P.D. Long term supplementation with selenate and selenomethionine: selenium and glutathione peroxidase in blood components of New Zealand women British Journal of Nutrition 69: 577-588 (1993)
Refereed conference proceedings
Thomson C, Chisholm, A. Bioavailability of selenium in Brazil nuts. Cellular Biology & Toxicology 24 (Suppl 1): S18 (2008)
Thomson, C.D. Selenium: Its role in health and disease. Muriel Bell Lecture, Combined
Australian Nutrition Society and New Zealand Nutrition Society conference, Sydney, December 2006, Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 15 (Suppl 3): S25-30 (2006).
Thomson, C.D. The bioavailability of selenium in Brazil nuts. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 15 (Suppl 3): S75 (2006).
Campbell, J.M., Thomson, C.D., Skeaff, S.A., Miller, J.C., Livingstone, V. Effect of a selenium and iodine intervention on thyroid status of older New Zealanders. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 15 (Suppl 3): S77 (2006).
Skeaff, S., Thomson, C., McLachlan, S., Parnell, W., Scragg, R., Wilson, N., Schaaf, D., Fitzgerald, E. The iodine status of New Zealand children. Trace Elements in Medicine 7(1): 90 (2006).
Thomson, C.D., McLachlan, S.K., Parnell, W., Scragg, R., Wilson, N., Schaaf, D., Fitzgerald, E. Selenium status of New Zealand children: National Children’s Nutrition Survey 2002. Trace Elements in Medicine 2006; 7(1): 57.
Skeaff SA, Thomson CD, McLachlan S, Morgen A. Thyroglobulin as an index of mild iodine deficiency. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 14 (Suppl): S42 (2005).
McLachlan, S.K., Thomson, C.D. Serum selenium concentrations in New Zealand children. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 13 (Suppl): S86, (2004).
Thomson, C.D. Selenium and iodine interactions with thyroid status. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 12 (Suppl): S14, 2003.
Skeaff, S.A., Thomson, C.D. and Gibson, R.S. Iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) in the New Zealand population: another example of an outmoded IDD control programme. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 12 (Suppl): S15 (2003).
De Jong, N., Gibson, R.S., Thomson, C.D., Ferguson, E.L., Green, T.J., Skeaff, C.M. and Horwath, C.C. A community-based study of the selenium, zinc and immunity-linked vitamin status in NZ elderly women. At 17th International Congress of Nutrition. Vienna, Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism 45(suppl 1): 418 (2001).
Thomson, C.D., Duffield, A.J. and Hill, K.E. Effect of selenium supplementation on plasma selenoprotein P of New Zealanders. In: Trace Elements in Man and Animals -TEMA-10. . A.M. Roussel, R.A. Anderson, and A.E. Favier eds. New York : Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers, 869-871 (2000).
Thomson, C.D., Woodruffe, S., Colls, A. and Doyle, T.D. Urinary iodine and thyroid status of New Zealand residents. In: Trace Elements in Man and Animals -TEMA-10. A.M. Roussel, R.A. Anderson, and A.E. Favier eds. New York : Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers, 343-344 (2000).
Other significant recent conference activities
Thomson C.D. Selenium status and atopy in a cohort of New Zealand children. Invited speaker. 9th International Symposium on Selenium in Biology and Medicine, Kyoto, Japan, June 2010.
Krittaphol W, Wescombe P, ThomsonCD, McDowell A, Tagg JR, Fawcett JP. Do probiotics influence L-selenomethionine and selenite metabolism by indigenous microbes in different segments of the rat intestinal tract? ICN Bangkok, October 2009.
Menon, K, Skeaff, S.A., Thomson, C.D. Ferguson, E.L., Kodpey, S., Pandav, C.S. : Micronutrient status of women (18-30 years) in Ramtek block, Nagpur, India. ICN Bangkok, October 2009.
Thomson C.D, Campbell J, Miller J, Skeaff S.A. The effect of high iodine intake on thyroid hormones and selenium status in older people .FASEB, Experimental Biology Conference, San Diego, USA, April 2008.
Thomson C.D, Campbell J, Miller J, Skeaff S.A. The effect of high iodine intake on thyroid hormones and selenium status in older people. 13th International conference on Trace Elements for Man and Animals (TEMA-13), Pucon, Chile, November 2008.
Krittaphol W, Wescombe P, McDowell A, Tagg JR, Thomson CD, Fawcett JP. Probiotics and selenium metabolism: Does it matter whether the bacteria are dead or alive? 13th International conference on Trace Elements for Man and Animals (TEMA-13), Pucon, Chile, November 2008.
Invited keynote speaker: 8th International Symposium on Selenium in Biology and medicine, July 2006, Madison, Wisconsin. “Selenium Status and Requirements in New Zealand: An Update”
Invited speaker: Annual Scientific Meeting of the Nutrition Society and Australia and Nutrition Society of NZ. Muriel Bell Memorial Lecture, Sydney, Australia, November 16, 2006. “Selenium: Its role in health and disease”.