The University of Maine - Food Science and Human Nutrition

Faculty and Staff - Dorothy J. Klimis-Zacas

Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
Professor of Clinical Nutrition
5735 Hitchner Hall, Room 107
University of Maine
Orono, ME 04469-5736

Phone: (207)581-3124
Fax: (207) 581-1636
Email: dorothy.klimis.zacas@umit.maine.edu

Dr. Klimis-Zacas’ research web page

Education
1982 Ph.D. Nutrition, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania

1978 M.S. Physiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania

1974 B.A. Biology and Honors, Beaver College, Glenside, Pennsylvania

Professional Experience
Professor of Clinical Nutrition, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, 2003 to present

Cooperating Professor, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece , 1996 to present

Associate Professor of Clinical Nutrition, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, 1994 to 2003

Fulbright Fellow, Athens School of Public Health, Athens, Greece, 1995 to 1996

Assistant Professor of Clinical Nutrition, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, 1988-1994

Visiting scientist at the Department of Physiological Chemistry, University of Cologne, Germany and the Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Cologne Hospital, 1986-1987

Assistant Professor of Science, Husson College, Bangor, Maine, 1983- 1985

Instructor of Nutrition at the University of Maine, Orono, Maine, Summer 1981

Courses Taught
FSN 101 Introduction to Food and Nutrition -fall

FSN 420 Abnormal Nutrition (Medical Nutrition Therapy)- spring

FSN 510 Trace Minerals – spring, even years

FSN 584 Lipids in Health and Disease- spring, odd years

Research Interests

1. VASCULAR NUTRITION-NUTRITIONAL PHYSIOLOGY

• Functional foods and food bioactives on vasomotor function and aortic glycosaminoglycan structure and metabolism as related to Cardiovasular Disease and Obesity with the use of biosensors

2. NUTRITIONAL BIOCHEMISTRY-NUTRIGENOMICS

• Berry bioactives and their mechanism of action on inflammation and gene expression associated with the Metabolic Syndrome.

• The role of anthocyanins on cognitive performance and brain function and metabolism

• The bioavailability and metabolic fate of berry bioactives and their effect(s) on gut microbiota

3. CLINICAL NUTRITION

• Human interventions to study the role of food bioactives on Cardiovascular Disease, attenuation of oxidative stress, endothelial function, DNA protection and repair and gut microbiota

Funded Projects
Manganese, arterial functional properties and metabolism as related to cardiovascular disease

Manganese-proteoglycan-lipoprotein interactions and arterial wall functional properties

Whole wild blueberries and their effect on the biomechanical properties and metabolism of the rat aorta as related to hypertension

Wild blueberry-enriched diets and aortic glycosaminoglycan structure and metabolism as related to atherosclerosis

Recent Publications

Dorothy J. Klimis-Zacas, Anastasia Z. Kalea, Mary Yannakoulia, Antonia-Leda Matalas, Tonia Vassilakou, Constantina Papoutsakis-Tsarouhas, Nikos Yiannakouris, Evangelos Polychronopoulos, Michalis Passsos, Dietary Intakes of Greek Urban Adolescents Do Not Meet the Recommendations, Nutrition Research. 27: 18-26, 2007.

Taylor, P.N., Wolinsky, I. and Klimis, D.J. Water in Exercise and Sport, In Wolinsky, I. and Driskell, J.A. (eds). Macroelements, water and electrolytes in Sports Nutrition, CRC Press Inc., Boca Raton,FL, 1999.

D. J. Klimis, Gnardellis, B. and Trichopoulou, A. Gender differences in blood lipids and lipoproteins in a Greek Island population: The EPIC study., Nutrition Research. 20: 35-45, 2000.

D. Klimis-Zacas. “The Mediterranean Diet: A Model for Health and Well-Being “, in “The Maine Scholar” 14, 67-73, 2001.

N. Yiannakouris, M. Yannakoulia, L. Melistas, J.L. Chan, D. Klimis-Zacas and C.S. Mantzoros. The Q223R polymorphism of the leptin receptor gene is significantly associated with obesity and predicts a small percentage of body weight and body composition variability. J Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 86(9): 4434-9, 2002.

Klimis-Zacas, D., Kalea, A.Z. and I. Wolinsky. Nutritional Issues of Cardiovascular Disease in Women. In Klimis-Zacas, D. and I. Wolinsky (eds) Nutritional Concerns for Women, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. 2003.

M.Yiannakoulia, N. Yiannakouris, S. Bluher, A-L Matalas, D.Klimis-Zacas and C.S. Mantzoros. Body fat mass and macronutrient intake in relation to circulating soluble leptin receptor, free leptin index, adiponectin, and resistin concentration in healthy humans. Journal Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 88: 1730-6, 2003.

M. Yiannakoulia, A. Matalas, N. Yiannakouris, C. Papoutsakis, M. Passos and D. Klimis-Zacas. Disordered eating attitudes: an emerging health problem among Mediterranean adolescents. Journal of Eating Disorders 9(2) 126-133,2004.

Kalea, A. Z., P. D. Harris and D. Klimis-Zacas. Dietary manganese suppresses vascular contraction. Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry 416(1):44-9, 2005.

Norton, C., Kalea, A.Z., Harris, P.D., and Klimis-Zacas, D. Wild blueberry-rich diets affect the contractile machinery of the vascular smooth muscle in the Sprague-Dawley rat, Journal of Medicinal Food, 8:8-13, 2005.

Kalea AZ, Lamari FN, Theocharis AD, Cordopatis P, Schuschke DA, Karamanos NK and Klimis-Zacas DJ. 2006. Wild blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) consumption affects the composition and structure of glycosaminoglycans in Sprague-Dawley rat aorta. J Nutr Biochem. 17(2):109-116.

Kalea AZ, Lamari FN, Theocharis AD, Schuschke DA, Karamanos NK, Klimis-Zacas DJ. 2006. Dietary manganese affects the concentration, composition and sulfation pattern of heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans in Sprague-Dawley rat aorta. Biometals. 19(5):535-546.

Kalea AZ, Schuschke DA, Harris PD and Klimis-Zacas DJ. 2006. Cyclo-Oxygenase Inhibition Restores the Attenuated Vasodilation in Manganese-Deficient Rat Aorta. J Nutr. 136(9):2302-2307.

Books Edited
D. Klimis-Zacas and I. Wolinsky. Nutritional Concerns of Women, CRC Press Inc., Boca Raton, Fl., 2003. (2nd edition)

D. Klimis-Zacas. Annual Editions: Nutrition 2001/02, McGraw-Hill/Dushkin (2001)

D. Klimis-Zacas, Annual Editions: Nutrition 2002/2003, McGraw-Hill/Dushkin (2002)

D. Klimis-Zacas, Annual Editions: Nutrition 2003/2004, McGraw-Hill/Dushkin (2003)

D. Klimis-Zacas, Annual Editions: Nutrition 2004/2005, McGraw-Hill/Dushkin (2004)

D. Klimis-Zacas, Annual Editions: Nutrition 2005/2006, McGraw-Hill/Dushkin (2005)

D. Klimis-Zacas, Annual Editions: Nutrition 2006/2007, McGraw-Hill/Dushkin (2006)

D. klimis-Zacas, Annual Editions: Nutrition2007/2008, McGraw-Hill/Dushkin (2007)

Professional Activities and/or Services
Editorial Board for CRC Press Series in Modern Nutrition

Editor in Chief for Annual Editions: Nutrition, McGraw-Hill/Dushkin

Member, American Dietetic Association, R.D. eligible

Member, American Society for Nutritional Sciences

Member, Atherosclerosis Society (International)

Member, Maine Nutrition Council

Member, Maine Dietetic Association

Member, Hellenic Dietetic Association

Professor Klimis-Zacas is a member of the Planning Committee for the Tri-Society International Conference for Trace Element Research in Humans (ISTERH), Nordic Trace Element Society (NTES)
and the Hellenic Trace Element Society (HTES) on “Trace Elements in Diet, Nutrition and Health: Essentiality and Toxicity” to be held October 21-26, 2007 in the beautiful island of Crete, Greece. She
Chairs the session on “Trace elements: Modulators of Arterial function and Metabolism”.
She is also member of the Fund raising committee of the Conference.

Professor Klimis-Zacas attended the 10th annual Conference of the Wild Blueberry Health Research group in Bar Harbor, Maine, August 15-19, 2007 where she presented her research findings.
She was interviewed on Channel 5 and 7, Bangor, Bangor Daily News, and CBC Canada on her research on wild blueberries and their effects on vasorelaxation and cardiovascular disease as well on the contributions of the FSN faculty to wild blueberry research and Maine economy.

Honors

Professor Dorothy Klimis-Zacas has been named a Senior Fulbright Specialist for 2007-2012. The award, which promotes collaborations with non-U.S. academic institutions world-wide, requires rigorous application and selection process. It enables the specialist to travel to a foreign country from two to six weeks to collaborate on curriculum and faculty development, institutional planning and other activities (2007-2012)

Fulbright Fellow, School of Public Health, Athens, Greece (1995)

Recipient of Helena Rubinstein Foundation Chemistry Scholarship

Who’s Who in the East

American Men and Women of Science

Sigma Xi (Research Honor Society)

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