Dr. Bigornia is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems at the University of New Hampshire. He uses epidemiological approaches to identify potential nutritional targets to inform therapies and prevention strategies to modify metabolic risk factors and reduce the burden of chronic disease. Areas of interest include dietary risk factors of overweight and obesity, the roles of inflammation and insulin resistance in vascular dysfunction, dietary fat quality in brain related health, and health disparities.
Courses Taught
- ANFS 999: Doctoral Research
- NSB 799H: Honors Senior Thesis
- NUTR 506: Nutrition and Wellness
- NUTR 709: Nutritional Epidemiology
- NUTR 709/809: Nutritional Epidemiology
- NUTR 750: Nutritional Biochemistry
- NUTR 750/850: Nutritional Biochemistry
- NUTR 809: Nutritional Epidemiology
- NUTR 850: Nutritional Biochemistry
- NUTR 960: Research Methods Nutr I
Research Interests
- Cardiovascular Diseases
- Cognitive Disorders/Impairment
- Depression
- Diabetes
- Epidemiology
- Health Disparities
- Inflammation
- Metabolic Diseases
- Nutrition/Dietetics
- Obesity
Selected Publications
Karazurna, N., Porter, C., Aytur, S., Scott, T., Mattei, J., Feldeisen, S., . . . Bigornia, S. J. (2023). Associations between dietary fatty acid patterns and cognitive function in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos.. Br J Nutr, 129(7), 1202-1212. doi:10.1017/S0007114521003275
Marquine, M. J., Gallo, L. C., Tarraf, W., Wu, B., Moore, A. A., Vasquez, P. M., . . . Gonzalez, H. M. (2022). The Association of Stress, Metabolic Syndrome, and Systemic Inflammation With Neurocognitive Function in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos and Its Sociocultural Ancillary Study. JOURNALS OF GERONTOLOGY SERIES B-PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES, 77(5), 860-871. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbab150
Walker, M. E., Xanthakis, V., Peterson, L. R., Duncan, M. S., Lee, J., Ma, J., . . . Jacques, P. F. (2020). Dietary Patterns, Ceramide Ratios, and Risk of All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality: The Framingham Offspring Study. JOURNAL OF NUTRITION, 150(11), 2994-3004. doi:10.1093/jn/nxaa269
Noel, S. E., Mangano, K. M., Mattei, J., Griffith, J. L., Dawson-Hughes, B., Bigornia, S., & Tucker, K. L. (2020). Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, Mediterranean, and Alternative Healthy Eating indices are associated with bone health among Puerto Rican adults from the Boston Puerto Rican Osteoporosis Study. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 111(6), 1267-1277. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqaa090
Palacios, N., Lee, J. S., Scott, T., Kelly, R. S., Bhupathiraju, S. N., Bigornia, S. J., & Tucker, K. L. (2020). Circulating Plasma Metabolites and Cognitive Function in a Puerto Rican Cohort. JOURNAL OF ALZHEIMERS DISEASE, 76(4), 1267-1280. doi:10.3233/JAD-200040
Mattei, J., Bigornia, S. J., Sotos-Prieto, M., Scott, T., Gao, X., & Tucker, K. L. (2019). The Mediterranean Diet and 2-Year Change in Cognitive Function by Status of Type 2 Diabetes and Glycemic Control. DIABETES CARE, 42(8), 1372-1379. doi:10.2337/dc19-0130
Mattei, J., Tamez, M., Bigornia, S. J., Noel, S. E., Xiao, R. S., Rios-Bedoya, C. F., . . . Tucker, K. L. (2019). Dietary Intake and Its Determinants Among Adults Living in the Metropolitan Area of Puerto Rico. NUTRIENTS, 11(7). doi:10.3390/nu11071598
Bigornia, S. J., Scott, T. M., Harris, W. S., & Tucker, K. L. (2018). Prospective Associations of Erythrocyte Composition and Dietary Intake of n-3 and n-6 PUFA with Measures of Cognitive Function. NUTRIENTS, 10(9). doi:10.3390/nu10091253
Mattei, J., Sotos-Prieto, M., Bigornia, S. J., Noel, S. E., & Tucker, K. L. (2017). The Mediterranean Diet Score Is More Strongly Associated with Favorable Cardiometabolic Risk Factors over 2 Years Than Other Diet Quality Indexes in Puerto Rican Adults. JOURNAL OF NUTRITION, 147(4), 661-669. doi:10.3945/jn.116.245431
Bigornia, S. J., Harris, W. S., Falcon, L. M., Ordovas, J. M., Lai, C. -Q., & Tucker, K. L. (2016). The Omega-3 Index Is Inversely Associated with Depressive Symptoms among Individuals with Elevated Oxidative Stress Biomarkers. JOURNAL OF NUTRITION, 146(4), 758-766. doi:10.3945/jn.115.222562
Bigornia, S. J., Lichtenstein, A. H., Harris, W. S., & Tucker, K. L. (2016). Associations of erythrocyte fatty acid patterns with insulin resistance. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION, 103(3), 902-909. doi:10.3945/ajcn.115.123604
Bigornia, S. J., LaValley, M. P., Noel, S. E., Moore, L. L., Ness, A. R., & Newby, P. K. (2015). Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and central and total adiposity in older children: a prospective study accounting for dietary reporting errors. PUBLIC HEALTH NUTRITION, 18(7), 1155-1163. doi:10.1017/S1368980014001700
Bigornia, S. J., LaValley, M. P., Moore, L. L., Northstone, K., Emmett, P., Ness, A. R., & Newby, P. K. (2014). Dairy Intakes at Age 10 Years Do Not Adversely Affect Risk of Excess Adiposity at 13 Years. JOURNAL OF NUTRITION, 144(7), 1081-1090. doi:10.3945/jn.113.183640
Hua, N., Chen, Z., Phinikaridou, A., Pham, T., Qiao, Y., LaValley, M. P., . . . Hamilton, J. A. (2014). The influence of pericardial fat upon left ventricular function in obese females: evidence of a site-specific effect. JOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE, 16. doi:10.1186/1532-429X-16-37
Bigornia, S. J., Farb, M. G., Tiwari, S., Karki, S., Hamburg, N. M., Vita, J. A., . . . Gokce, N. (2013). Insulin Status and Vascular Responses to Weight Loss in Obesity. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY, 62(24), 2297. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2013.07.078
Bigornia, S. J., LaValley, M. P., Benfield, L. L., Ness, A. R., & Newby, P. K. (2013). Relationships Between Direct and Indirect Measures of Central and Total Adiposity in Children: What Are We Measuring?. OBESITY, 21(10), 2055-2062. doi:10.1002/oby.20400
Bigornia, S. J., Farb, M. G., Mott, M. M., Hess, D. T., Carmine, B., Fiscale, A., . . . Gokce, N. (2012). Relation of depot-specific adipose inflammation to insulin resistance in human obesity. NUTRITION & DIABETES, 2. doi:10.1038/nutd.2012.3
Farb, M. G., Ganley-Leal, L., Mott, M., Liang, Y., Ercan, B., Widlansky, M. E., . . . Gokce, N. (2012). Arteriolar Function in Visceral Adipose Tissue Is Impaired in Human Obesity. ARTERIOSCLEROSIS THROMBOSIS AND VASCULAR BIOLOGY, 32(2), 467-U727. doi:10.1161/ATVBAHA.111.235846
Farb, M. G., Bigornia, S., Mott, M., Tanriverdi, K., Morin, K. M., Freedman, J. E., . . . Gokce, N. (2011). Reduced adipose tissue inflammation represents an intermediate cardiometabolic phenotype in obesity.. J Am Coll Cardiol, 58(3), 232-237. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2011.01.051
Gauthier, M. -S., O'Brien, E. L., Bigornia, S., Mott, M., Cacicedo, J. M., Xu, X. J., . . . Ruderman, N. (2011). Decreased AMP-activated protein kinase activity is associated with increased inflammation in visceral adipose tissue and with whole-body insulin resistance in morbidly obese humans.. Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 404(1), 382-387. doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2010.11.127
Ruberg, F. L., Chen, Z., Hua, N., Bigornia, S., Guo, Z., Hallock, K., . . . Hamilton, J. A. (2010). The relationship of ectopic lipid accumulation to cardiac and vascular function in obesity and metabolic syndrome.. Obesity (Silver Spring), 18(6), 1116-1121. doi:10.1038/oby.2009.363
Bigornia, S. J., Mott, M. M., Hess, D. T., Apovian, C. M., McDonnell, M. E., Duess, M. -A., . . . Gokce, N. (2010). Long-term Successful Weight Loss Improves Vascular Endothelial Function in Severely Obese Individuals. OBESITY, 18(4), 754-759. doi:10.1038/oby.2009.482
Apovian, C., Bigornia, S., Cullum-Dugan, D., Schoonmaker, C., Radziejowska, J., Phipps, J., . . . Lenders, C. (2009). Milk-Based Nutritional Supplements in Conjunction With Lifestyle Intervention in Overweight Adolescents.. Infant Child Adolesc Nutr, 1(1), 37-44. doi:10.1177/1941406408326991
Apovian, C. M., Bigornia, S., Mott, M., Meyers, M. R., Ulloor, J., Gagua, M., . . . Gokce, N. (2008). Adipose macrophage infiltration is associated with insulin resistance and vascular endothelial dysfunction in obese subjects.. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol, 28(9), 1654-1659. doi:10.1161/ATVBAHA.108.170316
Arkin, J. M., Alsdorf, R., Bigornia, S., Palmisano, J., Beal, R., Istfan, N., . . . Gokce, N. (2008). Relation of cumulative weight burden to vascular endothelial dysfunction in obesity.. Am J Cardiol, 101(1), 98-101. doi:10.1016/j.amjcard.2007.07.055
Mattei, J., Tamez, M., Bigornia, S., Noel, S., Xiao, R., Rios-Bedoya, C., & Rodriguez-Orengo, J. (n.d.). Foods, nutrients, and diet quality intake and its determinants among adults living in Puerto Rico. Nutrients.
- Associations between diet quality and chronic disease risk in Bhutanese refugee adults in New Hampshire
- Dietary Fat and Cognitive Function in Community Health
- Diversification of the syrup industry: Strategies for climate resilience and economic vitality
- Dietary Quality and Cardiovascular Disease in the Jackson Heart Study