Sjurdur Frodi Olsen

Sjurdur Frodi Olsen

Contact

Sjurdur Frodi Olsen, Professor, Biobank, Medfødte sygd. & Vac.beredskab / Sjurdurs sektion
T. +45 32683955 @. sfo@ssi.dk

Professor, Fetal Programming, Department of Epidemiology Research

Research Areas

My group is focusing on impact on health of exposures during pregnancy. A central research resource is the Danish National Birth Cohort, where we are following a cohort of 90,000 born during 1996-2003. My group has, together with associated groups, published around 250 peer reviewed articles relating pregnancy diet and other factors in and after pregnancy to various health outcomes.

A special line has been to study whether marine n-3 fatty acids can delay spontaneous delivery and prevent preterm birth. The field was initiated by our articles in the Lancet 1986 and Lancet 1992 . An extensive Cochrane review of randomized trials, published in 2018, provided corroborating evidence for our hypothesis.

Experiences from our own studies, including our Chinese trial published in 2019 (for a discussion of the matter, see page 1948 in the PDF version of this article J Nutr. 2019; 149(11): 1942-1951  doi:10.1093/jn/nxz153), collectively suggest that the delaying effect of marine n-3 fatty acids on timing of spontaneous delivery might be fast but of short duration. In addition, in our data, there is evidence to suggest that the dose-response relationship might be non-linear, with a “saturation point” for the relationship at the low end of the intake distribution; and, also, that small doses may have substantial effects in women whose intake is below the saturation point.

An international clinical practice guideline, published in 2023 in Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM on behalf of six associations including the European Society for Paediatric Research, provided recommendations regarding marine n-3 fatty acid supply in pregnancy for risk reduction of preterm and early preterm birth. And a recent review article, published in Frontiers of Nutrition in 2024, (DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1502866), focused on developing efficacious sustainable alternatives to fish/fish oils as a source of long chain n-3 fatty acids, for the prevention of preterm birth.

Publications
My NCBI
Education  
1984 MD, University of Copenhagen 
1987  MSc in Epidemiology, London School Hygiene & Trop. Medicine 
1993   DMSci (dr.med.), Aarhus University 
1994   PhD, Aarhus University 
1997   Authorized specialist course in Public Health 
2007   Course in Research Management, CBC 

Employment after doctorate
1993  Post Doc, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK 
1994  Senior Scientist, since 1997 leader of Maternal Nutrition Group, SSI 
2005-2007       Full (Ordinary) Professor of Epidemiology, University of Aarhus 
2006-  Adjunct Professor in Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA 
2007  Senior Scientist, Department of Epidemiology Research, SSI 
2009-  Chief Physician, Department of Epidemiology Research, SSI
2010-2019 Centre Leader, Centre for Fetal Programming, SSI - https://www.cfp-research.com - https://www.cfp-research.com/reports-from-cfp
2019-2024  Professor of epidemiology with particular focus on foetal programming, at University of Copenhagen

Professional Activities and Leadership 
1999  Member, Scientific and Management Group of the Danish National Birth Cohort  
2001–2004 Member, Danish National Nutrition Council 
2005-2013 Member, Scientific Advisory Committee of Nutricia Research Foundation 
2007–2011 Leader, Theme 2 (on longitudinal epidemiology) of the FP6 Integrated Project, EARNEST - http://www.metabolic-programming.org/theme2.htm
2015-  Member, Steering Committee of the International Childhood Cancer Cohort Consortium (I4C) 
2015-2018          Member, International Life Science Institute (ILSI) Expert Group on “Nutritional Management of Gestational Diabetes: the scientific evidence to date” 
2017- Deputy PI – and member of the Scientific and Management Group – of the Danish National Birth Cohort
  https://hsph.harvard.edu/profile/sjurdur-f-olsen
  https://www.cfp-research.com
  https://www.cfp-research.com/reports-from-cfp

Prizes and Honours
1995  Simon Spies Medical Research Prize 
2004  Professor Johannes Ipsen Lecture  

Selected Publications
Horner D, Jepsen JRM, Chawes B, Aagaard K, Rosenberg JB, Mohammadzadeh P, Sevelsted A, Vahman N, Vinding R, Fagerlund B, Pantelis C, Bilenberg N, Pedersen CT, Eliasen A, Brandt S, Chen Y, Prince N, Chu SH, Kelly RS, Lasky-Su J, Halldorsson TI, Strøm M, Strandberg-Larsen K, Olsen SF, Glenthøj BY, Bønnelykke K, Ebdrup BH, Stokholm J, Rasmussen MA. A western dietary pattern during pregnancy is associated with neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and adolescence. Nat Metab. 2025 Mar 3. doi: 10.1038/s42255-025-01230-z. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40033007. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40033007/.
Bjerregaard AA, Zoughbie DE, Hansen JV, Granström C, Strøm M, Halldórsson ÞI, Meder IK, Willett WC, Ding EL, Olsen SF. An SMS chatbot digital educational program to increase healthy eating behaviors in adolescence: A multifactorial randomized controlled trial among 7,890 participants in the Danish National Birth Cohort. PLoS Med. 2024 Jun 14;21(6):e1004383. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004383. PMID: 38875292; PMCID: PMC11178212. https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1004383.
He JR, Tikellis G, Paltiel O, Klebanoff M, Magnus P, Northstone K, Golding J, Ward MH, Linet MS, Olsen SF, Phillips GS, Lemeshow S, Qiu X, Hirst JE, Dwyer T. Association of common maternal infections with birth outcomes: a multinational cohort study. Infection. 2024 May 11. doi: 10.1007/s15010-024-02291-0. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38733459. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s15010-024-02291-0.
Hjort L, Bredgaard SS, Manitta E, Marques I, Sørensen AE, Martino D, Grunnet LG, Kelstrup L, Houshmand-Oeregaard A, Clausen TD, Mathiesen ER, Olsen SF, Saffery R, Barrès R, Damm P, Vaag AA, Dalgaard LT. Epigenetics of the non-coding RNA nc886 across blood, adipose tissue and skeletal muscle in offspring exposed to diabetes in pregnancy. Clin Epigenetics. 2024 May 7;16(1):61. doi: 10.1186/s13148-024-01673-3. PMID: 38715048; PMCID: PMC11077860. https://clinicalepigeneticsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13148-024-01673-3.
Olsen SF. A follow-up from a randomized controlled trial suggests that fish oil in pregnancy may increase the risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome in the offspring—a reason for concern? Editorial. Am J Clin Nutr. 22 February 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.01.015. https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1ieQIgSEO8JW.
Cetin I, Carlson SE, Burden C, Fonseca EBD, Renzo GCD, Hadjipanayis A, Harris WS, Kumar KR, Olsen SF, Mader MS, McAuliffe FM, Muhlhausler B, Oken E, Poon LC, Poston L, Ramakrishnan U, Roehr CC, Savona-Ventura C, Smuts CM, Sotiriadis A, Su KP, Tribe RM, Vannice G, Koletzko B. Omega-3 fatty acid supply in pregnancy for risk reduction of preterm and early preterm birth. Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM. 2023 Dec 7:101251. doi: 10.1016/j.ajogmf.2023.101251. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38070679. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589933323003932?via%3Dihub.
Noorzae R, Junker TG, Hviid A, Wohlfahrt J, Olsen SF. Risk of Type 1 Diabetes in Children Is Not Increased After SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Nationwide Prospective Study in Denmark. Diabetes Care. 2023 Jun 1;46(6):1261-1264. doi: 10.2337/dc22-2351. PMID: 37058353. https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/46/6/1261/148729/Risk-of-Type-1-Diabetes-in-Children-Is-Not.
He JR, Hirst JE, Tikellis G, Phillips GS, Ramakrishnan R, Paltiel O, Ponsonby AL, Klebanoff M, Olsen J, Murphy MFG, Håberg SE, Lemeshow S, Olsen SF, Qiu X, Magnus P, Golding J, Ward MH, Wiemels JL, Rahimi K, Linet MS, Dwyer T. International Childhood Cancer Cohort Consortium. Common maternal infections during pregnancy and childhood leukaemia in the offspring: findings from six international birth cohorts. Int J Epidemiol. 2022 Jun 13;51(3):769-777. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyab199 . Erratum in: Int J Epidemiol. 2022 Jun 13;51(3):1037. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyab228 . PMID: 34519790; PMCID: PMC9425514. https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/51/3/769/6370078?login=true.
Halldorsson TI, Birgisdottir BE, Brantsæter AL, Meltzer HM, Haugen M, Thorsdottir I, Olafsdottir AS, Olsen SF. Old Question Revisited: Are High-Protein Diets Safe in Pregnancy? Nutrients. 2021 Jan 29;13(2):440. doi: 10.3390/nu13020440. PMID: 33572843; PMCID: PMC7911198. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/2/440.
Bjerregaard AA, Halldorsson TI, Tetens I, Olsen SF. Mother's dietary quality during pregnancy and offspring's dietary quality in adolescence: Follow-up from a national birth cohort study of 19,582 mother-offspring pairs. PLoS Med. 2019 Sep 12;16(9):e1002911. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002911. Erratum in: PLoS Med. 2019 Nov 26;16(11):e1003004. PMID: 31513597; PMCID: PMC6742222. https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1002911.
Olsen SF, Halldorsson TI, Li M, Strøm M, Mao Y, Che Y, Wang Y, Duan F, Olsen J, Zhou W. Examining the effect of fish oil supplementation in Chinese pregnant women on gestation duration and risk of preterm delivery. J Nutr 2019;149(11):1942-1951.
Antvorskov JC, Halldorsson TI, Josefsen K, Svensson J, Granström C, Roep BO, Olesen TH, Hrolfsdottir L, Buschard K, Olsen SF. Association between maternal gluten intake and type 1 diabetes in offspring: national prospective cohort study in Denmark. BMJ 2018;362:k3547 https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k3547 (Published 19 September 2018).
Hansen S, Strøm M, Maslova E, Dahl R, Hoffmann HJ, Rytter D, Bech BH, Henriksen TB, Granström C, Halldorsson TI, Chavarro JE, Linneberg A, Olsen SF. Fish oil supplementation during pregnancy and allergic respiratory disease in the adult offspring. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016 Apr 25. pii: S0091-6749(16)30155-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2016.02.042. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 27246522. 
Olsen SF, Houshmand-Oeregaard A, Granström C, Langhoff-Roos J, Damm P, Bech BH, Vaag AA, Zhang C. Diagnosing gestational diabetes mellitus in the Danish National Birth Cohort. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2017;96:563-569. 
Olsen SF, Birgisdottir BE, Halldorsson TI, Brantsaeter AL, Haugen M, Torjusen H, Petersen SB, Strøm M, Meltzer HM. Possibilities and considerations when merging dietary data from the world's two largest pregnancy cohorts: the Danish National Birth Cohort and the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2014;93:1131-1140. 
Rasmussen MA, Maslova E, Halldorsson TI, Olsen SF. Characterization of dietary patterns in the Danish national birth cohort in relation to preterm birth. PLoS One. 2014 Apr 18;9(4):e93644. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0093644. Erratum in: PLoS One. 2014;9(5):e99073. PMID: 24747715; PMCID: PMC3991586.
Olsen SF, Maslova E, Strøm M. Fetal programming - expands the obstetrician's field of work. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2014 Nov;93(11):1075-6. doi: 10.1111/aogs.12520. PMID: 25277784.

Editor on Special Issue
Special Issue: Fetal programming. Guest Editor: Sjurdur F. Olsen. Assistant issue editors: Ekaterina Maslova and Marin Ström. Pages: 1073-1206. November 2014. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica: Volume 93, Issue 11.

Book chapters
Olsen SF. Graviditet – den helbredsmæssige betydning af kostindtag i graviditeten. In: Livscyklusernæring. Larsen R, Fisker S (eds.). Munksgaard. 1st edition, 2016. ISBN 978-87-628-1458-5. pp. 64-99.
Olsen SF. Kost til gravide. In: Menneskets Ernæring. Astrup A, Bügel S, Dyerberg J, Stender S (eds.). Munksgaard 3rd edition, 2016. ISBN 978-87-628-0884-3. pp. 362-370.

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