Esther Nederhof

Esther Nederhof is a researcher at the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences, University of Groningen, with a focus on adolescent mental health, stress physiology, and gene-environment interactions. Her work spans interdisciplinary topics in psychology, endocrinology, and nutrition.

• Education: PhD in Psychology/Neuroscience (thesis on psychomotor speed and overtraining, 2007)
• Research Themes: Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis programming, dietary impacts on mental health (paleolithic diet trials), gene-environment interactions (5-HTTLPR, BDNF), stress-induced psychopathology

Key Publications include meta-analyses on dietary effects in obesity (2021), longitudinal studies on stress adaptation (2017), and foundational work on the mismatch hypothesis (2012). Her research often involves the TRAILS cohort, a long-running Dutch adolescent health study.

Methodological Expertise: Statistical modeling of complex interactions, cortisol biomarker analysis, randomized controlled trials, and cross-over dietary interventions. Collaborations span institutions in Europe and North America, including teams studying mental health, endocrinology, and sports science.