UCDavis University of California

Education

• B.S., Food & Nutrition, Cornell University
• S.M. and Sc.D., Nutrition, Harvard University School of Public Health

Research Interests

Judith S. Stern, Sc.D., is a distinguished professor in the Departments of Nutrition and Internal Medicine/Division of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism at the University of California, Davis.

An expert on diet and nutrition, Dr. Stern has published extensively on nutrition, the effect of exercise on appetite and metabolism, and obesity. She is currently studying the effects of obesity on lipids and renal disease, the effects of a nondiet approach to health in obese women and magnesium and asthma. She is Program Co-Director of a nutrition training grant and Director of a Clinical Nutrition Unit Animal Models Subcore Laboratory also funded by NIH. Dr. Stern has published over 250 research papers in professional journals and over 150 articles in popular magazines such as Redbook and is an Editorial Advisor to Prevention Magazine.

Dr. Stern received her bachelor´s degree in Foods and Nutrition from Cornell University and her master of science and doctor of science degrees in nutrition from the Harvard University School of Public Health in Boston. In 1969, she became a research associate at The Rockefeller University in the Department of Human Behavior and Metabolism and was subsequently promoted to Assistant Professor. She joined UC Davis in 1975.

Dr. Stern is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAS); American Diabetes Association; American Dietetic Association; American Heart Association (AHA); American Obesity Association (co-founder and Vice-President, 1995-2006, now merged with TOS); American Society for Clinical Nutrition (now merged with American Nutrition Society), where she was President (4/96 to 4/97); She chaired a committee on setting criteria for evaluation of obesity treatment programs for the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences (Weighing The Options, NAS Press, 1995). Dr. Stern has received numerous awards. In October of 1995 she was elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine. UC Davis recognized her public service with an Award for Distinguished Public Service (1995). The California Dietetic Association gave her an award for excellence in research (1996). In 2001 she received the Charles A. Black Award from the Council on Agriculture Science and Technology. In 2004, she received the Secretary Honors Award from USDA. TOS created the Atkinson-Stern Award for Distinguished Public Service (2006). She is a Fellow in AHA and AAAS.

Along with Dr. Richard L. Atkinson she was founder of The American Obesity Association, a lay advocacy organization dedicated to advancing understanding of the disease of obesity, where she also served as Vice President (1995-2006). AOA merged with The Obesity Society in 2006.

Publications

• Tse, E.O., F.M. Gregoire, L.J. Magrum, P.R. Johnson and J.S. Stern. A low protein diet lowers islet insulin secretion but does not alter hyperinsulinemia in obese Zucker (fa/fa) rats. Journal of Nutrition 1995;125:1923-1929.
• Magrum, L.J., B.A. Horwitz and J.S. Stern. Animal Models of Obesity: Diet, Inactivity and Genetics. In: Proceedings of the 1992 Vahoney Symposium, eds. D. Kritchevsky and C. Bonfield, Dietary Fiber Health Diseases 1995;5:378-405.
• Brown, K.H., M. Sanchez-Grinan, F. Perez, J.M. Peerson, L. Ganoza and J.S. Stern. Effects of dietary energy density and feeding frequency on total daily energy intakes of recovering malnourished children. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1995;62:13-18.
• Albright, A.L. and J.S. Stern. Energy Intake and Body Weight. Eating Disorders and Obesity: A Comprehensive Handbook. Eds. K.D. Brownell and C.G. Fairburn. Guilford Publications, New York, NY, pp. 27-31, 1995.
• Routh, V.H., J.S. Stern and B.A. Horwitz. Adrenalectomy increases serotonin turnover in brains of obese Zucker rats. Physiology and Behavior 1995;58:491-499.
• Specter, S.E., J.S. Hamilton, J.S. Stern and B.A. Horwitz. Chronic protein restriction does not alter energetic efficiency of brown adipose tissue thermogenic capacity in genetically obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats. Journal of Nutrition 1995;125:2183-2193.
• Stern, J.S. Weighing the Options: Criteria for Evaluating Weight-Management Programs. Ed. P.R. Thomas, Institute of Medicine, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., pp. VII-X, 1995.
• Ahren, B., J.S. Stern, R.L. Gingerich, D.L. Curry and P.J. Havel. Glucagon secretory response to hypoglycaemia, adrenaline and carbachol in streptozotocin-diabetic rats. Acta Physiology Scandinavia 1995;155:215-221.
• Stern, J.S. and P.R. Thomas. A commentary on Weighing the Options: Criteria for Evaluating Weight-Management Programs. Obesity Research 1995;3:589-590.
• Stern, J.S. Perspectives on sodium. Perspectives in Applied Nutrition 1995;3:127-130.
• Stern, J.S. and P.R. Thomas. Obesity and evaluation of weight control programs. Nutritional Concerns of Women, CRC Series in Modern Nutrition (I. Wolinsky and D. Klimas-Tavanatzis eds.), Chapter 5, Boca Raton, FL, pp. 89-109, 1996.
• Routh, V.H., J.S. Stern and B.A. Horwitz. Physiological responses of mammals to overnutrition. In: Handbook of Physiology, Section 4. Environmental Physiology (E. Fregly and C. Blatteis eds.), Oxford University Press 1996;3:1411-1435.
• Specter, S.E., J.S. Stern and B.A. Horwitz. Hypothalamic monoaminergic activity in obese Zucker rats in response to acute and chronic dietary stimuli. American Journal of Physiology 1996;270:E677-687.
• Havel, P.J., B.L. Busch, D.L. Curry, P.R. Johnson, M.F. Dallman and J.S. Stern. Predominately glucocorticoid agonist actions of RU-486 in young specific-pathogen-free (SPF) Zucker rats. American Journal of Physiology 1996;40:R710-R717.
• Havel, P.K., S. Kasim-Karakas, W. Muelller, P.R. Johnson, R.L. Gingerich and J.S. Stern. Relationship of plasma leptin to plasma insulin and adiposity in normal weight and overweight women: Effects of dietary fat content and sustained weight loss. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 1996;81:4406-4413.
• Hatton, D.C., R.B. Haynes, S. Oparil, P.K. Etherton, F.X. Pi-Sunyer, L.M. Resnick, J.S. Stern, S. Clark, M. McMahon, C. Morris, J. Metz, A. Ward, S. Holcomb and D.A. McCarron. Improved quality of life in patients with generalized cardiovascular metabolic disease on prepared diet. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1996;64:935-943.
• Hackman, R.M., J.S. Stern and M.E. Gershwin. Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Asthma. Clinical Reviews in Allergy and Immunology 1996;14:321-336.
• Miller, G.D., Keen, C.L., Stern, J.S. and Uriu-Hare, J.Y. Copper absorption, endogenous excretion, and distinction in Sprague-Dawley and lean (Fa/Fa) Zucker rats. Biological Trace Element Research, 1996;53:261-279.
• McCarron, D.A., S. Oparil, A. Chait, R.B. Haynes, P. Kris-Etherton, J.S. Stern, L.M. Resnick, S. Clark, C.D. Morris, D.C. Hatton, J.A. Metz, M. McMahon, S. Holcomb, G.W. Snyder and F.X. Pi-Sunyer. Nutritional management of cardiovascular risk factors: a randomized, controlled clinical trial. Archives of Internal Medicine 1997;157:169-177.
• Moore, B.J., C.E. Koop and J.S. Stern. The Obesity Epidemic: Nutrition Policy and Public Health Imperatives In, (Ed) Bronner F, Nutrition Policy in Public Health, Springer Publishing Co., NY, NY, Ch 7 pp. 138-156, 1997.
• Stern, J.S. Nutrition and the Consumer. Ch 13 pp. 83-87, 1997.
• Atkinson, R.L. and J.S. Stern. Weight Cycling: definitions, mechanisms and problems with interpretations. In: Handbook of Obesity (C. Bouchard, G.A. Bray eds.), 1997;38:791-804.
• Johnson, P.R., J.S. Stern, B.A. Horwitz, R.E. Harris Jr. and S.F. Green. Longevity in obese and lean male and female rats of the Zucker rat strain. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1997;66:890-903.
• Metz, J.A., P.M. Kris-Etherton, C.D. Morris, V.A. Mustad, J.S. Stern, S. Oparil, A. Chair, R.B. Haynes, L.M. Resnick, S. Clark, D.C. Hatton, M. McMahon, S. Holcomb, G.W. Snyder, X. Pi-Sunyer and D.A. McCarron. Dietary compliance and cardiovascular risk reduction with a prepared meal plan compared to a self-selected diet. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1997;66:373-385.
• Oberbauer, A. M., Stern, J. S., Johnson, P. R., Horwitz, B. A., German, J. B., Phinney, S. D., Beermann, D. H., Pomp, D., & Murray, J. D. Body composition of inactivated growth hormone (oMt1a-oGH) transgenic mice: generation of an obese phenotype. Growth Dev Aging 1997; 61: 169-179.
• Tse, E. O., Gregoire, F. M., Reusens, B., Remacle, C., Hoet, J. J., Johnson, P. R., & Stern, J. S. Changes of islet size and islet size distribution resulting from protein-malnutrition in lean (Fa/Fa) and obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats. Obes Res 1997; 5: 563-571.
• Ayre, K. J., Phinney, S. D., Tang, A. B., & Stern, J. S. Exercise training reduces skeletal muscle membrane arachidonate in the obese (fa/fa) Zucker rat. J Appl Physiol 1998; 85: 1898-1902.
• Davis, P. A., Chang, C., Hackman, R. M., Stern, J. S., & Gershwin, M. E. Acupuncture in the treatment of asthma: a critical review. Allergol Immunopathol (Madr) 1998; 26: 263-271.
• Davis, P. A., Gold, E. B., Hackman, R. M., Stern, J. S., & Gershwin, M. E. The use of complementary/alternative medicine for the treatment of asthma in the United States. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol 1998; 8: 73-77.
• Dubuc, G. R., Phinney, S. D., Stern, J. S., & Havel, P. J. Changes of serum leptin and endocrine and metabolic parameters after 7 days of energy restriction in men and women. Metabolism 1998; 47: 429-434.
• Gades, M. D., Stern, J. S., van Goor, H., Nguyen, D., Johnson, P. R., & Kaysen, G. A. Estrogen accelerates the development of renal disease in female obese Zucker rats. Kidney Int 1998; 53: 130-135.
• Havel, P. J., Uriu-Hare, J. Y., Liu, T., Stanhope, K. L., Stern, J. S., Keen, C. L., & Ahren, B. Marked and rapid decreases of circulating leptin in streptozotocin diabetic rats: reversal by insulin. Am J Physiol 1998; 274: R1482-1491.
• Keim, N. L., Stern, J. S., & Havel, P. J. Relation between circulating leptin concentrations and appetite during a prolonged, moderate energy deficit in women. Am J Clin Nutr 1998; 68: 794-801.
• McCarron, D. A., Oparil, S., Resnick, L. M., Chait, A., Haynes, R. B., Kris-Etherton, P., Pi-Sunyer, F. X., Stern, J. S., Morris, C. D., Clark, S., Hatton, D. C., Metz, J. A., McMahon, M., Holcomb, S., & Snyder, G. W. Comprehensive nutrition plan improves cardiovascular risk factors in essential hypertension. Am J Hypertens 1998; 11: 31-40.
• Miller, G. D., Keen, C. L., Stern, J. S., & Uriu-Hare, J. Y. Copper deficiency and arachidonic acid enhance insulin secretion in isolated pancreatic islets from lean (FaFa) Zucker rats. Pancreas 1998; 17: 390-396.
• Mueller, W. M., Gregoire, F. M., Stanhope, K. L., Mobbs, C. V., Mizuno, T. M., Warden, C. H., Stern, J. S., & Havel, P. J. Evidence that glucose metabolism regulates leptin secretion from cultured rat adipocytes. Endocrinology 1998; 139: 551-558.
• Borchers, A. T., Stern, J. S., Hackman, R. M., Keen, C. L., & Gershwin, M. E. Mushrooms, tumors, and immunity. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 1999; 221: 281-293.
• Chait, A., Malinow, M. R., Nevin, D. N., Morris, C. D., Eastgard, R. L., Kris-Etherton, P., Pi-Sunyer, F. X., Oparil, S., Resnick, L. M., Stern, J. S., Haynes, R. B., Hatton, D. C., Metz, J. A., Clark, S., McMahon, M., Holcomb, S., Reusser, M. E., Snyder, G. W., & McCarron, D. A. Increased dietary micronutrients decrease serum homocysteine concentrations in patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr 1999; 70: 881-887.
• Gades, M. D., Van Goor, H., Kaysen, G. A., Johnson, P. R., Horwitz, B. A., & Stern, J. S. Brief periods of hyperphagia cause renal injury in the obese Zucker rat. Kidney Int 1999; 56: 1779-1787.
• Haynes, R. B., Kris-Etherton, P., McCarron, D. A., Oparil, S., Chait, A., Resnick, L. M., Morris, C. D., Clark, S., Hatton, D. C., Metz, J. A., McMahon, M., Holcomb, S., Snyder, G. W., Pi-Sunyer, F. X., & Stern, J. S. Nutritionally complete prepared meal plan to reduce cardiovascular risk factors: a randomized clinical trial. J Am Diet Assoc 1999; 99: 1077-1083.
• Heaney, R. P., McCarron, D. A., Dawson-Hughes, B., Oparil, S., Berga, S. L., Stern, J. S., Barr, S. I., & Rosen, C. J. Dietary changes favorably affect bone remodeling in older adults. J Am Diet Assoc 1999; 99: 1228-1233.
• Henderson, G. L., Harkey, M. R., Gershwin, M. E., Hackman, R. M., Stern, J. S., & Stresser, D. M. Effects of ginseng components on c-DNA-expressed cytochrome P450 enzyme catalytic activity. Life Sci 1999; 65: PL209-214.
• Pi-Sunyer, F. X., Maggio, C. A., McCarron, D. A., Reusser, M. E., Stern, J. S., Haynes, R. B., Oparil, S., Kris-Etherton, P., Resnick, L. M., Chait, A., Morris, C. D., Hatton, D. C., Metz, J. A., Snyder, G. W., Clark, S., & McMahon, M. Multicenter randomized trial of a comprehensive prepared meal program in type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care 1999; 22: 191-197.
• Ahren, B., Magrum, L. J., Havel, P. J., Greene, S. F., Phinney, S. D., Johnson, P. R., & Stern, J. S. Augmented insulinotropic action of arachidonic acid through the lipoxygenase pathway in the obese Zucker rat. Obes Res 2000; 8: 475-480.
• Barr, S. I., McCarron, D. A., Heaney, R. P., Dawson-Hughes, B., Berga, S. L., Stern, J. S., & Oparil, S. Effects of increased consumption of fluid milk on energy and nutrient intake, body weight, and cardiovascular risk factors in healthy older adults. J Am Diet Assoc 2000; 100: 810-817.
• Borchers, A. T., Keen, C. L., Stern, J. S., & Gershwin, M. E. Inflammation and Native American medicine: the role of botanicals. Am J Clin Nutr 2000; 72: 339-347.
• Borchers, A. T., Sakai, S., Henderson, G. L., Harkey, M. R., Keen, C. L., Stern, J. S., Terasawa, K., & Gershwin, M. E. Shosaiko-to and other Kampo (Japanese herbal) medicines: a review of their immunomodulatory activities. J Ethnopharmacol 2000; 73: 1-13.
• Hackman, R. M., Stern, J. S., & Gershwin, M. E. Hypnosis and asthma: a critical review. J Asthma 2000; 37: 1-15.
• Metz, J. A., Stern, J. S., Kris-Etherton, P., Reusser, M. E., Morris, C. D., Hatton, D. C., Oparil, S., Haynes, R. B., Resnick, L. M., Pi-Sunyer, F. X., Clark, S., Chester, L., McMahon, M., Snyder, G. W., & McCarron, D. A. A randomized trial of improved weight loss with a prepared meal plan in overweight and obese patients: impact on cardiovascular risk reduction. Arch Intern Med 2000; 160: 2150-2158.
• Miller, G. D., Dimond, A. G., & Stern, J. S. The effect of repeated episodes of dietary restriction and refeeding on systolic blood pressure and food intake in exercise-trained normotensive rats. Obes Res 2000; 8: 324-336.
• Resnick, L. M., Oparil, S., Chait, A., Haynes, R. B., Kris-Etherton, P., Stern, J. S., Clark, S., Holcomb, S., Hatton, D. C., Metz, J. A., McMahon, M., Pi-Sunyer, F. X., & McCarron, D. A. Factors affecting blood pressure responses to diet: the Vanguard study. Am J Hypertens 2000; 13: 956-965.
• Stevenson, F. T., Wheeldon, C. M., Gades, M. D., Kaysen, G. A., Stern, J. S., & van Goor, H. Estrogen worsens incipient hypertriglyceridemic glomerular injury in the obese Zucker rat. Kidney Int 2000; 57: 1927-1935.
• Cleland, R., Graybill, D. C., Hubbard, V., Khan, L. K., Stern, J. S., Wadden, T. A., Weinsier, R., Yanovski, S., Gross, W. C., & Daynard, M. Commercial weight loss products and programs: what consumers stand to gain and lose. A public conference on the information consumers need to evaluate weight loss products and programs. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2001; 41: 45-70.
• Harkey, M. R., Henderson, G. L., Gershwin, M. E., Stern, J. S., & Hackman, R. M. Variability in commercial ginseng products: an analysis of 25 preparations. Am J Clin Nutr 2001; 73: 1101-1106.
• Ji, Q. C., Harkey, M. R., Henderson, G. L., Gershwin, M. E., Stern, J. S., & Hackman, R. M. Quantitative determination of ginsenosides by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Phytochem Anal 2001; 12: 320-326.
• Stern, J. S., Gades, M. D., Wheeldon, C. M., & Borchers, A. T. Calorie restriction in obesity: prevention of kidney disease in rodents. J Nutr 2001; 131: 913S-917S.
• Stevenson, F. T., Wheeldon, C. M., Gades, M. D., van Goor, H., & Stern, J. S. Hyperphagia as a mediator of renal disease initiation in obese Zucker rats. Obes Res 2001; 9: 492-499.
• Bacon, L., Keim, N. L., Van Loan, M. D., Derricote, M., Gale, B., Kazaks, A., & Stern, J. S. Evaluating a 'non-diet' wellness intervention for improvement of metabolic fitness, psychological well-being and eating and activity behaviors. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2002; 26: 854-865.
• Gades, M. D., & Stern, J. S. Chitosan supplementation does not affect fat absorption in healthy males fed a high-fat diet, a pilot study. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2002; 26: 119-122.
• Downey M, Stern JS. The importance of being earnest. Lancet. 2003;362 Suppl:s42-3.
• Kazaks A, Stern JS. Obesity: food intake. Prim Care. 2003;30:301-16, vi. Review.
• Gades MD, Stern JS. Chitosan supplementation and fecal fat excretion in men. Obes Res. 2003;11:683-8.
• Chiu S, Fisler JS, Espinal GM, Havel PJ, Stern JS, Warden CH. The yellow agouti mutation alters some but not all responses to diet and exercise. Obes Res. 2004;12:1243-55.
• Bacon L, Stern JS, Keim NL, Van Loan MD. Low bone mass in premenopausal chronic dieting obese women. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2004;58:966-71.
• Kazaks A, Uriu-Adams JY, Stern JS, Albertson TE. No significant relationship between exhaled nitric oxide and body mass index in people with asthma.J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2005; 116:929-30; author reply 930. Epub 2005 Aug 1.
• Gades MD, Stern JS. Chitosan supplementation and fat absorption in men and women, J Am Dietetic Assoc. 2005;105:72-77.
• Townsend MS, Fulgoni VL, Stern JS, McCarron D. Correspondence: reply. AJH. 2005;18: 1259-1260. Poirier P, Giles TD, Hong Y, Stern JS, Pi-Sunyer X, Eckel, RH. Obesity and cardiovascular disease pathophysiology, evaluation, and effect of weight loss : an update of the 1997 American Heart Association Scientific Statement on Obesity and Heart Disease. Circulation. 2006;113:898-918.
• Bersamin A, Luick B, Michael W, Stern JS, Zidenberg-Cherr S. Diet quality among Yup'ik Eskimos living in rural communities is low: the Center for Alaska Native Health Research pilot study. J Am Diet Assoc. 2006; 106:1055-1063.
• Hackman RM, Havel PJ, Schwartz HJ, Rutledge JC, Watnik MR, Noceti EM, Stohs SJ, Stern JS, Keen CL. 2006. Multinutrient supplement containing ephedra and caffeine causes weight loss and improves metabolic risk factors in obese women: A randomized controlled trial. Intl J Obesity, 30: 1-12.
• Kazaks A, Uriu Adams, Albertson T, Stern JS. 2006. Multiple measures of magnesium status are comparable in mild asthma cases and controls. Journal of Asthma. 43:783-8.
• Poirier P, Giles TD, Hong Y, Stern JS, Pi-Sunyer X, Eckel, RH. 2006 Obesity and cardiovascular disease pathophysiology, evaluation, and effect of weight loss: an update of the 1997 American Heart Association Scientific Statement on Obesity and Heart Disease. Circulation. 113:868-876.
• Stern JS. 2007. No dietary supplement will result in weight loss. American Diabetes Association DOC News, March, p. 3.
• Bersamin A, Zidenberg-Cherr S, Stern JS, Luick BR. 2007. Nutrient intakes are associated with adherence to a traditional diet among Yup’ik Eskimos living in remote Alaska native communities: The CANHR Study. Intl J Circumpolar Health 66:62-70.
• Stern JS, Kazaks AG. 2007. Dietary supplements; weighing the evidence. American Diabetes Association Inc., DOC News, September.
• Kazaks AG, Stern JS. 2007, California Agriculture, Overweight and obesity are associated with decreased magnesium intake in people with asthma. California Agriculture; 61:119-23.
• Hackman RM, PJ Havel, HJ Schwartz, JC Rutledge, SJ Stohs, JS Stern, CL Keen. 2007. Letter to the Editor: Response to Dr. Inchiosa. Intl J Obesity. 10:1038
• Bersamin A, Luick BR, King IB, Stern JS, Zidenberg-Cherr S. 2008. Westernizing diets influence fat intake, red blood cell fatty acid composition, and health in remove Alaskan Native communities in the center for Alaska Native health study. J Am Diet Asscn. 108: 266-273.
• Kazaks A, Stern JS. 2009, Nutrition Intervention Guidelines and Resources for Childhood Obesity In: Pediatric and Adolescent Obesity, Ed. D. Styne, Elsevier Science, Philadelphia.
• Bersamin A, Luick B, Ruppert E, Stern JS, Zidenberg-Cherr S.2009. Diet quality among Yup’ik Eskimos living in rural communities is low: the Center for Alaska Native Health Research pilot study. J Amer Dietetic Asscn. 106: 1055-1063.
• Stern JS, Kazaks AG. 2009. Obesity, ABC CLIO publishing.
• Kazaks A, Stern JS. 2008. Strategies to Reduce Calories in Food. In: Handbook of Obesity: Clinical Applications, 3e, Ed. GA Bray, C. Bouchard, Informa HealthCare, New York: 417-24.