Barbara Nicklas
Professor of Internal Medicine, Section on Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine; Center for Human Genomics 

M.S., 1987 Iowa State University 
Ph.D., 1994 University of Maryland 

Dr. Nicklas is a clinical investigator whose research focuses on understanding the metabolic and hormonal adaptations to exercise and dietary interventions in older individuals, and the role of genetics in determining these adaptations.  She is particularly interested in the effects of aging, as well as exercise and diet treatments, on skeletal muscle and adipose tissue mass, metabolism, and gene expression.  She also studies the effects of genetic variation on aging-related changes in body composition, including sarcopenia and abdominal obesity, and on physical disability, energy expenditure and lipid metabolism in the elderly. 

Recent Publications (selected):

Wang, X, GD Miller, SP Messier, BJ Nicklas.  Knee strength maintained despite loss of muscle mass during intensive weight loss in older obese adults with knee osteoarthritis.  J Gerontol Biol Sci: Med Sci (in press), 2007.

Nicklas, BJ, X Leng, O Delbono, DW Kitzman, AP Marsh, WG Hundley, MF Lyles, KS O’Rourke, BH Annex, WE Kraus. Relationship of physical function to vastus lateralis capillary density and metabolic enzyme activity in elderly men and women.  J Gerontol Biol Sci: Med Sci (in press), 2007.

Yang, RZ, MJ Lee, H Hu, TI Pollin, AS Ryan, BJ Nicklas, S Snitker, RB Horenstein, K Hull, NH Goldberg, AP Goldberg, AR Shuldiner, SK Fried, DW Gong.  Acute phase serum amyloid A:  An inflammatory adipokine and a potential link between obesity and its metabolic complications.  PLoS Med, 3(6):e287, 2006.

Miller, GD, BJ Nicklas, C Davis, RF Loeser, L Lenchik, SP Messier.  Intensive weight loss program improves physical function in older obese adults with knee osteoarthritis.  Obesity, 14(7):1219-30, 2006.

You T, KM Murphy, MF Lyles, JL Demons, L Lenchik, BJ Nicklas.  Addition of aerobic exercise to dietary weight loss preferentially reduces abdominal adipocyte size.  Int J Obes, 30(8):1211-6, 2006.

Nicklas, BJ, M Cesari, BWJH Penninx, SB Kritchevsky, J Ding, AB Newman, D Kitzman, AM Kanaya, M Pahor, TB Harris.  Abdominal obesity is an independent risk factor for chronic heart failure in older people.  J Am Geriatr Soc, 54(3):413-20, 2006.

Nicklas, BJ, J Mychaleckyj, SB Kritchevsky, SP Palla, L Lange, E Lange, SP Messier, D Bowden, M Pahor.  Physical function and its response to exercise training.  Associations with cytokine gene polymorphisms in older individuals with knee osteoarthritis.  J Gerontol Biol Sci: Med Sci, 60(10):1292-98, 2005.

Kritchevsky, SB, BJ Nicklas, M Visser, EM Simonsick, AB Newman, TB Harris, EM Lange, BW Penninx, BH Goodpaster, S Satterfield, LH Colbert, SM Rubin, M Pahor.  Angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/deletion genotype, exercise and physical decline.  JAMA, 294(6):691-698, 2005.

You, T, RZ Li, M Lyles, DW Gong, BJ Nicklas.  Abdominal adipose tissue cytokine gene expression: Relationship to obesity and metabolic risk factors.  Am J Physiol:Endocrin Metab, 288(4):E741-7, 2005.

You, T, AS Ryan, BJ Nicklas.  The metabolic syndrome in obese postmenopausal women: Relationship to body composition, visceral fat and inflammation.  J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 89(11):5517-5522, 2004.

You, T, DM Berman, AS Ryan, BJ Nicklas.  Effects of hypocaloric diet and exercise training on inflammation and adipocyte lipolysis in obese, postmenopausal women.  J Clin Endocrin Metab, 89(4):1739-46, 2004.

Nicklas, BJ, W Ambrosius, SP Messier, GD Miller, BWJH Penninx, R Loeser, S Palla, E Bleecker, M Pahor.  Dietary-induced weight loss, exercise and chronic inflammation in older, obese adults:  A randomized controlled clinical trial.  Am J Clin Nutr, 79(4):544-551, 2004.

Nicklas, BJ, KE Dennis, DM Berman, LB Bunyard, J Sorkin, AP Goldberg.  A lifestyle intervention of hypocaloric dieting and walking reduces abdominal obesity and coronary heart disease risk factors in obese, postmenopausal African-American and Caucasian women.  J Gerontol Biol Sci Med Sci, 58(2):M181-9, 2003.

Nicklas, BJ, RE Ferrell, DM Berman, LB Bunyard, KE Dennis, AP Goldberg.  Apolipoprotein E genotype affects dietary-induced reductions in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in obese, postmenopausal women.  Metabolism, 51(7):853-858, 2002.

Nicklas, BJ, E vanRossum, DM Berman, AS Ryan, KE Dennis, AR Shuldiner.  Genetic variation in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma gene (Pro12Ala) affects metabolic responses to weight loss and subsequent weight regain.  Diabetes, 49:2172-2176, 2001.