Dr. Maria Carlota Dao is an Assistant Professor of Human Nutrition in the Department of Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems at the University of New Hampshire. As an interdisciplinary scientist focused on obesity research, she investigates the interplay of cardiometabolic risks, dietary and psychosocial factors, and the gut microbiota. Through this work she seeks to address obesity in health disparity populations. Prior to becoming a faculty member at UNH, Dr. Dao worked as a scientist at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. Her training includes a postdoctoral fellowship at the Sorbonne University and INSERM (Institute of Cardiometabolism and Nutrition) in France, and a PhD in Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.
For a complete list of Dr. Dao's publications, please visit: <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=WIj7JvQAAAAJ&hl=en">https…;
Visit our lab webpage: <a href="https://mypages.unh.edu/dao-lab/people/maria-carlota-dao">https://mypag…;
Courses Taught
- ANFS 999: Doctoral Research
- BMS 799H: Senior Honors Thesis
- NUTR 720/820: Community Nutrition
- NUTR 927: Nutr Gut Micr
Research Interests
- Health Disparities
- Malnutrition
- Microbiome
- Nutritional Physiology
- Obesity
Selected Publications
Gerber, S., Silver, R. E., Das, S. K., Greene, S. S., Dix, S. R., Ramirez, I., . . . Roberts, S. B. (2024). Development and Feasibility of an eHealth Diabetes Prevention Program Adapted for Older Adults-Results from a Randomized Control Pilot Study.. Nutrients, 16(7). doi:10.3390/nu16070930
Dao, M. C., Yu, Z., Maafs-Rodriguez, A., Moser, B., Cuevas, A. G., Economos, C. D., & Roberts, S. B. (2022). Perceived intrinsic, social, and environmental barriers for weight management in older Hispanic/Latino adults with obesity. OBESITY SCIENCE & PRACTICE. doi:10.1002/osp4.631
Dao, M. C., Das, S. K., Silver, R. E., & Roberts, S. B. (2021). Association of counselor weight status and demographics with participant weight loss in a structured lifestyle intervention.. Obes Res Clin Pract, 15(1), 69-72. doi:10.1016/j.orcp.2020.11.005
Molinaro, A., Bel Lassen, P., Henricsson, M., Wu, H., Adriouch, S., Belda, E., . . . Bäckhed, F. (n.d.). Imidazole propionate is increased in diabetes and associated with dietary patterns and altered microbial ecology. Nature Communications, 11(1). doi:10.1038/s41467-020-19589-w
Guo, W., Wu, D., Dao, M. C., Li, L., Lewis, E. D., Ortega, E. F., . . . Meydani, S. N. (2020). A Novel Combination of Fruits and Vegetables Prevents Diet-Induced Hepatic Steatosis and Metabolic Dysfunction in Mice. The Journal of Nutrition, 150(11), 2950-2960. doi:10.1093/jn/nxaa259
Al Assal, K., Prifti, E., Belda, E., Sala, P., Clément, K., Dao, M. -C., . . . Waitzberg, D. L. (2020). Gut Microbiota Profile of Obese Diabetic Women Submitted to Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass and Its Association with Food Intake and Postoperative Diabetes Remission.. Nutrients, 12(2). doi:10.3390/nu12020278
Dao, M. C., Saltzman, E., Page, M., Reece, J., Mojtahed, T., Wu, D., & Meydani, S. N. (2020). Lack of Differences in Inflammation and T Cell-Mediated Function between Young and Older Women with Obesity.. Nutrients, 12(1). doi:10.3390/nu12010237
Dao, M. C., Belda, E., Prifti, E., Everard, A., Kayser, B. D., Bouillot, J. -L., . . . Clément, K. (2019). Akkermansia muciniphila abundance is lower in severe obesity, but its increased level after bariatric surgery is not associated with metabolic health improvement.. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 317(3), E446-E459. doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00140.2019
Dao, M. C., Messer, E., Conigliaro, T., Sakaida, K., Ouellette, A. F., Himaras, V., . . . Roberts, S. B. (2019). Different and Unequal: A Qualitative Evaluation of Salient Factors Influencing Energy Intake in Adults with Overweight and Obesity. NUTRIENTS, 11(6). doi:10.3390/nu11061365
Dao, M. C., Subar, A. F., Warthon-Medina, M., Cade, J. E., Burrows, T., Golley, R. K., . . . Holmes, B. A. (2019). Dietary assessment toolkits: an overview.. Public Health Nutr, 22(3), 404-418. doi:10.1017/S1368980018002951
