How do you describe what you do?
I’m a research scientist and director of the Nutrition Research Centre Ireland at South East Technological University. My bread and butter is overseeing research into eye and brain health connected to nutrition.
How did you get into science?
I’m dyslexic and I struggled in school. Science wasn’t my first choice for studying after my Leaving Cert, but it was practical and I loved it. I started getting distinctions. I went on to do a PhD and I followed my nose from there. Curiosity helped, but so did hard work and great support from home.
What was the big milestone that shaped your career?
Winning a European Research Council (ERC) grant in 2011. Before that, I had spent many years doing solid exploratory research. My PhD involved profiling more than a thousand people in Ireland to identify who was at risk of an eye disease called macular degeneration. We spotted that a carotenoid pigment that we derive from our diets and that normally gets concentrated in the eye was deficient in people at risk. That set everything in motion.
Tell us about the ERC grant
The ERC funded me to look at how supplements with specific carotenoids and other nutrients could enhance vision today and reduce the future risk of blindness. That was called the Crest study.
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And the approach worked?
Yes, on multiple fronts. In some macular degeneration patients who were on a trajectory of decline, we found that their vision was more protected. We also found vision performance could improve in people without eye disease, specifically contrast sensitivity, or your ability to distinguish foreground from background. That matters enormously in everyday life, from playing sport to crossing the road. As we age, a loss of contrast sensitivity is strongly linked to falls and frailty.
You also work on brain health. How does that connect?
We know that the carotenoids that are concentrated in the eye are also highly present in the brain. We worked with the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing and showed that in the general population, low levels of these carotenoids correlate with poor cognitive function and high levels with strong cognitive function.
That led me to research with Prof Ríona Mulcahy at University Hospital Waterford. We looked at the impact of giving supplements of carotenoids, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E to people with Alzheimer’s, and we saw it was linked with meaningful improvements in quality of life and mood. That formulation became a commercial product, where the intellectual property was licensed from the university.
How can people improve their carotenoid levels through diet?
Eggs are a superfood; the yellow yolk contains carotenoids, and the fat aids absorption. Leafy greens, peas, peppers, sweetcorn and coloured fruits all help too. How you prepare food matters, though. You need sufficient fat present so the body can absorb the carotenoids effectively, and light cooking makes the pigments more available to the body.
Outside the lab, what keeps you busy?
Over the last couple of years, I have been working on a documentary, A Vision for Vision, which shows how we source carotenoids from marigolds in Mexico and omega-3 fats from fish in Norway, and how our research is helping people to protect their eyes and brains. The film will be out later this year.
I also coach 27 girls, including my eldest daughter, in the Gailltír under-12 camogie team. I have played sports all my life, and working with these girls is the greatest privilege. Female sport still doesn’t get equal access to pitches or resources, and that needs to change.
