Maria Luz Fernandez, Ph.D.

Dr. Fernandez clarifies common misperceptions about eggs, which she refers to as a functional food, and also discusses dietary cholesterol, obesity, and the metabolic syndrome.

Representative Publications as of October 2010 (from a total of 161)

1. Fernandez ML, Calle MC. Revisiting dietary cholesterol recommendations: does the evidence support a 300 mg/d limit? Current Atherosclerosis Reports. 2010; 12:377-383.

2. Vislocky L, Fernandez ML. Biomedical effects of grape products. Nutrition Reviews. 2010: 68:656-670.

3. Ratliff JC, Leite JO, DeOgburn R, Puglisi M, Van Heest J, Fernandez ML. Consuming eggs for breakfast influences plasma glucose and ghrelin, while reducing caloric intake during the next 24 hours in adult men. Nutrition Research. 2010; 30:96-103.

4. Al-Sarraj T, Saadi H, Calle MC, Volek JS, Fernandez ML. Carbohydrate restriction as a first-line dietary intervention therapy effectively reduces the biomarkers of metabolic syndrome in Emirati adults. Journal of Nutrition. 2009; 139:1667-1676.

5. Leite JO, DeOgburn R, Ratliff J, Su R, Volek JS, McGrane MM, Dardik A, Fernandez ML. Low carbohydrate diets disrupt the association between insulin resistance and weight gain. Metabolism. 2009: 58:116-1122.

6. Mutungi G, Waters D, Ratliff J, Puglisi MJ, Clark RM, Volek JS, Fernandez ML. Eggs distinctly modulate plasma carotenoid and lipoprotein subclasses in adult men following a carbohydrate restricted diet. Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. 2010;21:261-267.

7. Torres-Gonzalez M, Volek JS, Leite JO, Fraser H, Fernandez ML. Carbohydrate restriction reduces lipids and inflammation and prevents atherosclerosis in guinea pigs. Journal of Arterioscleosis and Thrombosis. 2008; 15:235-243.

8. Ratliff J, Mutungi G, Puglisi M, Volek JS, Fernandez ML. Eggs modulate the inflammatory response to carbohydrate restricted diets in overweight men. Nutrition and Metabolism. 2008; 5:6.

9. Mutungi G, Ratliff J, Puglisi M, Torres-Gonzalez M, Vaishnav U, Leite JO, Quann E, Volek JS, Fernandez ML. Dietary cholesterol from eggs increases HDL cholesterol in overweight men consuming a carbohydrate restricted diet. Journal of Nutrition. 2008;138:272-276.

10. Fernandez ML & Webb D. The LDL to HDL cholesterol ratio as a valuable tool to evaluate coronary heart disease risk. The impact of dietary cholesterol. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. 2008; 27:1-5.

11. Puglisi M, Fernandez ML. Modulation of C reactive protein, tumor necrosis-alpha and adiponectin by diet, exercise and weight loss. Journal of Nutrition. 2008; 138:2293-2296.

12. Herron KL, McGrane MM, Lofgren IE, Waters D, Clark RM, Ordovas JM & Fernandez ML. ABCG5 polymorphism contributes to the individual response to dietary cholesterol and to carotenoids present in eggs. Journal of Nutrition. 2006;136: 1161-1165.

13. Wood RJ, Volek JS, Liu Y, Shachter NS, Contois JH & Fernandez ML. Carbohydrate restriction alters lipoprotein metabolism by modifying VLDL, LDL and HDL subfraction distribution and size in overweight men. Journal of Nutrition. 2006;136:384-389.

14. Herron KL, Lofgren IE, Adiconis X, Ordovas JM & Fernandez ML. Associations between plasma lipid parameters and APOC3 and APOA4 genotypes in a healthy population are independent of dietary cholesterol intake. Atherosclerosis. 2006; 184:113-120.

15. Greene CM, Zern TL, Wood R, Shrestha S, Aggarwal D, Sharman M, Volek JS & Fernandez ML. Maintenance of the LDL cholesterol: HDL cholesterol ratio in an elderly population given a dietary cholesterol challenge. Journal of Nutrition. 2005;135: 2793-2798.

16. Fernandez ML & West KL. Mechanisms by which dietary fatty acids modulate plasma Lipids. Journal of Nutrition. 2005;135: 2075-2078.

17. Fernandez ML & Vega-Lopez S. Efficacy and safety of ?-sitosterol in the management of blood cholesterol levels. Cardiovascular Research. 2005;23:73-86.

18. Ballesteros MN, Cabrera RM, Saucedo MS & Fernandez ML. Dietary cholesterol does not increase biomarkers for chronic disease in a pediatric population at risk from Northern Mexico. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2004;80: 855-861.

19. West KL & Fernandez ML. Guinea pigs as models to study the hypocholesesterolemic effects of drugs. Cardiovascular Reviews. 2004;22:7-22.

20. Herron KJ, Vega-Lopez S, Conde K, Ramjiganesh T, Roy S, Shachter N & Fernandez ML. Pre-menopausal women classified as hypo-or hyper-responders, do not alter their LDL/HDL ratio following a high dietary cholesterol challenge. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. 2002; 21:250-258.