Marta Van Loan, Ph.D.

Education

• Ph.D., Department of Kinesiology, University of Illinois

Research Interests

My research focus has been on the effects of nutrition, exercise, and eating behaviors on body composition and bone health. I have conducted a wide variey of clincial studies aimed at validation of body composition techniques and their use on clinical trials and field settings.  I have conducted  controlled feeding studies to exmine weight loss induced bone, effects of soy isoflavones on bone metabolism. More recently I have designed human clinical studies to explore the inter-relationship among the skeletal, immune and endocrine systems from a whole body physiology perspective.

Selected Publications

Barrack, M., Van Loan, M.D. 2011. Proper nutrition can prevent negative health outcomes in young female athletes. California Agriculture. 65:124. 

Matvienko, O.A., Alekel, D.L., Bhupathiraju, S.N., Hoffman, H., Ritland, L.M., Reddy, M.B., Van Loan, M.D., Perry, C.D. 2011. Androidal fat dominates in predicting cardiometabolic risk in postmenopausal women. Cardiology Research and Practice. DOI: 10.4061/2011/904878. [PubMed]

Van Loan, M.D., Keim, N.L., Adams, S.H., Souza, E., Woodhouse, L.R., Thomas, A., Witbracht, M., Gertz, E.R., Piccolo, B., Bremer, A.A., Spurlock, M. 2011. Dairy foods in a moderate energy restricted diet do not enhance central fat, weight & intra-abdominal adipose tissue loss or reduce adipocyte size & inflammatory markers in overweight & obese adults; Controlled feeding study. Journal of Obesity. 2011: 989657. [PubMed]

Smilowitz, J.T., Wiest, M.M., Teegarden, D., Zemel, M.B., German, J.B., Van Loan, M.D. 2011. Dietary fat and not calcium supplementation or dairy product consumption is associated with changes in anthropometrics during a randomized, placebo-controlled energy-restriction trial. Nutrition and Metabolism. 8:67. [PubMed]

Shedd-Wise, K.M., Alekel, D.L., Hofmann, H., Hanson, K.B., Schiferl, D.J., Hanson, L.N., Van Loan, M.D. 2011. The soy isoflavones for reducing bone loss study: 3-yr effects on pQCT bone mineral density and strength measures in postmenopausal women. Journal of Clinical Densitometry. 14:47-57. [PubMed]

Barrack, M.T., Van Loan, M.D., Rauh, M.J., Nichols, J.F. 2011. Body mass, training, menses, and bone in adolescent runners: a 3-yr follow-up. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 43:959-66. [PubMed]

Schaal, K., Van Loan, M.D., Casazza, G.A. 2011. Reduced catecholamine response to exercise in amenorrheic athletes. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 43:34-43. [PubMed]

Farr, J.N., Van Loan, M.D., Lohman, T.G., Going, S.B. 2011. Lower physical activity is associated with fat infiltration within skeletal muscle in young girls. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 43:443. 

Van Loan M.D., Keim N.L., Adams S.A., Souza E., Woodhouse L.R., Thomas A., Witbracht M., Gertz E.R., Piccolo B., Bremer A.A., Spurlock M.  Dairy foods in a moderate energy restricted diet do not enhance central fat, weight, and intra-abdominal adipose tissue losses nor reduce adipocyte size or inflammatory markers in overweight and obese adults: A controlled feeding study. J. Obesity  Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 989657 [PubMed]

Witbracht M.G., Laugero K.D., Van Loan M.D., Adams S.H., Keim N.L. Performance on the Iowa Gambling Task is related to magnitude of weight loss and salivary cortisol in a diet-induced weight loss intervention in overweight women.  Accepted: J Physiol Behav. April 2011. [PubMed]

Matvienko O.A., Alekel, D.L.,  Bhupathiraju, S.N.,  Hofmann, H., Ritland, L.M., Reddy, M.B. , Van Loan, M.D., Perry, C.D. Androidal fat dominates in predicting cardiometabolic risk in postmenopausalwomen. Cardiol Res and Prac. 2011, Article ID 904878, doi:10.4061/2011/904878. [PubMed]

Barrack, M.T., Van Loan M.D., Rauch M.J., Nichols J.J. Body mass, training, menses, and bone in adolescent runners: A 3 year follow-up study.  Med Sci in Sports & Exerc. 2011: 43: 959-966. DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e318201d7bb. [PubMed]

Shedd-Wise K.M., Alekel D.L., Hofmann H., Hanson K.B., Schiferl D.J., Hanson L.N., Van Loan M.D. The soy isoflavones for reducing bone loss study: 3-yr effects on pQCT bone mineral density and strength measures in postmenopausal women. J Clin Densito: Assess Skelet Health, 2011.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jocd.2010.11.003. [PubMed]

Barrack M.T., Nichols J., Rauch M., Van Loan M. Physiological and behavioral indicators of an energy deficiency among female adolescent runners with elevated bone turnover.  Am J Clin Nutr 92: 1-8, 2010. [PubMed]

Gertz ER, Silverman NE, Wise KS. Hanson KB, Alekel DL Stewart JW, Perry CD, Bhupathiraju SN, Kohut ML, Van Loan, MD. Contribution of serum inflammatory markers to changes in bone mineral content and density in postmenopausal women: A 1-yr investigation. J Clin Densitometry Assessment of Skeletal Health 13: 277-288, 2010. [PubMed]

Matvienko O.A., Alekel D.L., Genschel U., Ritland L., Van Loan M.D., Koehler K.J. Appetitive hormones, but not isoflavone tablets, influence overall and central adiposity in healthy postmenopausal women. Menopause 17: 594-601, 2010. [PubMed]

Alekel D. L.,Van Loan M.D., Koehler K.J., Hanson L.N., Stewart J.W., Hanson K.B., Kurzer M.S., Peterson C.T.,  Soy Isoflavones for Reducing Bone Loss (SIRBL) Study:  Three year randomized controlled trial to determine efficacy and safety of soy isoflavones in reducing bone loss in postmenopausal women. Am J Clin Nutr. 91: 218-230, 2010.

Stewart J.W., Alekel D.L., Ritland L.M., Van Loan M., Gertz E., Genschel U.  Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D is related to indicators of overall physical fitness in healthy postmenopausal women.  Menopause 16: 1093-1101, 2009. [PubMed]

Perry C.D., Alekel D.L., Ritland L.M., Bhupathiraju S.N., Stewart J.W., Hanson L.N., Matvienko O.A., Kohut M.L., Reddy M.B., Van Loan M.D., Genschel U.  Centrally located body fat is related to inflammatory markers in healthy postmenopausal women.  Menopause 15: 619-627. 2008. [PubMed]

Teegarden D, White K.M., Lyle R.M., Zemel M.B., Van Loan M.D., Matkovic V., Craig B.A., Schoeller D.A.  Calcium and dairy product modulation of lipid utilization and energy expenditure.  Obesity 16: 1566-1572. 2008. [PubMed]

Ritland L.M., Alekel D.L., Matvienko O.A., Hanson K.B., Stewart J.W., Hanson L.N., Reddy M.B.,  Van Loan. M.D., Genschel U. Centrally located body fat is related to appetitive hormones in healthy postmenopausal women. Eur J Endocr. 158: 889–897. 2008. [PubMed]

Shedd K.M.,  Hanson K.B., Alekel D.L., Schiferl D.J., Hanson L.N., Van Loan M.D. Quantifying leisure physical activity and its relation to bone density and strength.  Med Sci Sports Exerc. 39: 2189-2198. 2007. [PubMed]

Matlik L., Savaiano D., McCabe G.,  Van Loan M., Blue C.L., Boushey C.J. Perceived milk intolerance is related to bone mineral content in 10-13 year-old adolescent females.  Pediatrics 120: e669-e677. 2007. [PubMed]

Weaver C.M., McCabe L.D., McCabe G.P., Novotny R., Van Loan M., Going S., Matkovic V., Boushey C., Savaiano D.A.  Bone mineral and predictors of bone mass in White, Hispanic, and Asian early pubertal girls.  Calcified Tissue Int’l.  81: 352-363. 2007. [PubMed]

Bhupathiraju S.N., Alekel D.L., Stewart J.W., Hanson L.N., Shedd K.M., Reddy M.B., Hanson K.B., Van Loan M.D., Genschel U., Koehler K.J.  Relationship of circulating total homocysteine and C - reactive protein to trabecular bone in postmenopausal women.  J Clin Densitometry 10: 1-9. 2007. [PubMed]