Jeff S Volek
Associate Professor

My primary area of research is focused on physiological adaptations to low carbohydrate diets with emphasis on outcomes related to metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. I primarily use prospective diet and/or exercise interventions and use sophisticated cellular techniques to understand changes in adiposity, fatty acid and lipoprotein metabolism, inflammation, vascular function, and endocrine adaptations. Our recent studies have suggested a shift in our understanding of the role of dietary carbohydrate restriction. Long considered primarily a stratagem for weight loss, reduction in dietary carbohydrate is now understood to lead to improvements in metabolic syndrome and other cardiac risk factors, even in the absence of weight loss and frequently even in the presence of higher levels of saturated fat. Another major area of research has been in the general area of sports nutrition including studies evaluating a wide range of dietary supplements on exercise performance and overall health.

•Ph.D. Kinesiology, The Pennsylvania State University, 1999

•M.S. Exercise Science, The Pennsylvania State University, 1995

•R.D. Penrose-St. Francis Health Services, 1992

•B.S. Dietetics, Michigan State University, 1991

« Full C.V. »

Contact Information: 

Gampel - 217

Phone: (860) 486-6712
Fax: (860) 486-1123

Email: jeff.volek@uconn.edu

Mailing Address:
Department of Kinesiology
2095 Hillside Rd, Unit 1110
Storrs, CT 06269-1110

Current Courses Taught:

EKIN 248: Physiological Systems in Human Performance

EKIN 258: Mechanisms and Adaptations in Sport

EKIN 392: Muscle Physiology

EKIN 393: Physiology of Human Performance

Honors/Awards:

2007 Promotion to Associate Professor and Awarded Tenure

2007 Nutrition & Metabolism Society Award for Excellence in Nutrition and Metabolism

2005 Neag School of Education Outstanding Young Investigator Award

2004 National Strength & Conditioning Association Young Investigator Award

Associations/Committees/Outreach:

Professional Organizations: American Society of Nutrition, American Dietetic Association, Nutrition and Metabolism Society

Areas of Expertise:

Exercise & Nutrition

Weight Loss/Dieting

Low Carb Diets

Dietary Supplements

Exercise & Nutrition

Funded Research:

Effect of varying the fat composition of a carbohydrate restricted diet

Effect of a novel whey protein on markers of vascular function

Physiogenomic method for predicting responses to carbohydrate restricted and low fat diets

Safety and efficacy of NBTY products as part of a carbohydrate restricted diet with and without resistance exercise

Potential of eggs in enhancing the cardiprotective effects of carbohydrate restricted diets in weight loss interventions

Hyperglycemia-mediated alterations in vascular endothelium function and redox sensitive parameters

Investigation of whey protein supplementation for physiologic enhancement to resistance training and dietary regimes in young adults

Selected Publications/Presentations:

Feinman, R.D. and J.S. Volek. Carbohydrate restriction as the default treatment for type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Scandinavian Cardiovascular Journal. 42(4):256-63, 2008.

Volek, J.S., D.A. Judelson, R. Silvestre, L.M. Yamamoto, B.A. Spiering, D.L. Hatfield, J.L. Vingren, E.E. Quann, J.M. Anderson, C.M. Maresh, and W.J. Kraemer. Effects of Carnitine Supplementation on Flow-Mediated Dilation and Vascular Inflammatory Responses to a High-Fat Meal. American Journal of Cardiology. 12(10), 1413,1417, 2008.

Volek, J.S., S.D. Phinney, C.E. Forsythe, E.E. Quann, R.J. Wood, M.J. Puglusi, W.J. Kraemer, D.M. Bibus, M.L. Fernandez, and R.D. Feinman. Lipids. 2008 Dec 12. [Epub ahead of print]

Seip, R.L., J.S. Volek, A. Windemuth, M. Kocherla, M.L. Fernandez, W.J. Kraemer, and G. Ruano. Physiogenomic comparison of human fat loss in response to diets restrictive of carbohydrate or fat. Nutrition and Metabolism Metab (Lond). 2008 Feb 6;5(1):4 [Epub ahead of print].

Sharman, M.J., M.L. Fernandez, T.L. Zern, M. Torres-Gonzalez, W.J. Kraemer, and J.S. Volek. Replacing dietary carbohydrate with protein and fat decreases the concentrations of small LDL and the inflammatory response induced by atherogenic diets in the guinea pig. Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. 2008 Mar 5; [Epub ahead of print]

Accurso, A., R.K. Bernstein, A. Dahlqvist, B. Draznin, R.D. Feinman, E.J. Fine, Gleed A, D.B. Jacobs, G. Larson, R.H. Lustig, A.H. Manninen, S.I. McFarlane, K. Morrison, J.V. Nielsen, U. Ravnskov, K.S. Roth, R. Silvestre, J.R. Sowers, R. Sundberg, J.S. Volek, E.C. Westman, R.J. Wood, J. Wortman, and M.C. Vernon. Dietary carbohydrate restriction in type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome: time for a critical appraisal. Nutrition and Metabolism Metab (Lond). 5(1):9, 2008.

Volek, J.S., M.L. Fernandez, R.D. Feinman, and S.D. Phinney. Dietary Carbohydrate restriction induces a unique metabolic state positively affecting atherogenic dyslipidemia, fatty acid partitioning, and metabolic syndrome. Progress in Lipid Research. 47(5):307-18, 2008.

Gotshalk, L.A., W.J. Kraemer, M.A.G. Mendonca, J.L. Vingren, A.M. Kenny, B.A. Spiering, D.L. Hatfield, M.S. Fragala, and J.S. Volek. Creatine supplementation improves muscular performance in older women. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2007 Oct 18; [Epub ahead of print]

Silvestre, R., W.J. Kraemer, E.E. Quann, R.L. Seip, C.M. Maresh, J.L. VanHeest, and J.S. Volek. Effects of exercise at different times of the day on postprandial lipemia and endothelial function. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 2008 Jan 11 [Epub ahead of print].

Forsythe, C.E., S.D. Phinney, M.L. Fernandez, E.E. Quann, R.J. Wood, D.M. Bibus, W.J. Kraemer, R.D. Feinman, and J.S. Volek. Comparison of low fat and low carbohydrate diets on circulating fatty acid composition and markers of inflammation. Lipids. 43(1):65-77, 2007.