Sofia Barragan Vazquez del Mercado

Profile

I hold a Bachelor's degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from the Complutense University of Madrid. I later earned both a Master's degree in Nutritional Sciences and a PhD in Epidemiology from the National Institute of Public Health (INSP in Spanish) in Mexico.

I have served as an advisor in the General Directorate of Public Health Projects and Policies at the Ministry of Health of Morelos, contributing to the development of public health and nutrition strategies. I also worked at the Center for Nutrition and Health Research at INSP, where I coordinated prospective birth cohorts, conducted dietary analyses of national nutrition surveys, and contributed to the updating and management of the Mexican Food Composition Database, among others.

My research focuses on how early-life exposures—such as breastfeeding, sleep, and childhood feeding practices—affect growth, adiposity, and cardiometabolic outcomes in children. In 2025, I joined the Nutritional Epidemiology Group at the University of Leeds as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. My current work explores the influence of early childhood diet on growth and dental health in young children.

Responsibilities

• Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Nutritional Epidemiology

Research interests

My research interests are rooted in nutritional epidemiology, with a particular focus on maternal and child health, early-life nutrition, and dietary assessment. I am especially passionate about breastfeeding as a critical early-life exposures that can shape long-term health outcomes.

I have collaborated in the coordination of two Mexican prospective birth cohorts. The MAS-Lactancia birth cohort is an ongoing study that investigates the role of appetite and satiety regulation as a potential mediator in the association between infant feeding practices and genetic polymorphisms with child growth, adiposity, and metabolic risk. The POSGRAD birth cohort, which originated from a randomized clinical trial, includes 1,094 pregnant women and evaluates the effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation during pregnancy on child growth and development.

In addition, I have contributed to the development and management of the Mexican Food Composition Database (BAM in Spanish https://insp.mx/informacion-relevante/bam-bienvenida), a multi-institutional initiative that provides comprehensive nutrient information for the most frequently consumed foods in the country. 

Currently, as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Nutritional Epidemiology Group at the University of Leeds, I continue to explore how early-life dietary exposures influence child health.

Qualifications

• PhD Epidemiology
• MSc Nutrition
• BSc Human Nutrition & Dietetics