Samaneh Farsijani

Contributions to Public Health

• Advancing Chrononutrition Research in Aging: I pioneered the study of chrononutrition in nutritional epidemiology—how the timing of food and beverage intake impacts health. Using a life course approach, I have shown that chrononutrition behaviors vary by age and sex and are linked to important outcomes such as muscle health and longevity. This work supports the need to incorporate eating patterns, beyond nutrient content alone, into future dietary guidelines.
  • Farsijani S, Mao Z, Cauley JA, Newman AB. Comprehensive assessment of chrononutrition behaviors among nationally representative adults: Insights from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data. Clin Nutr. 2023 Oct;42(10):1910-1921. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2023.08.007. Epub 2023 Aug 12. PMID: 37625320; PMCID: PMC10528735.
  • Mao Z, Cawthon PM, Kritchevsky SB, Toledo FGS, Esser KA, Erickson ML, Newman AB, Farsijani S. The association between chrononutrition behaviors and muscle health among older adults: The study of muscle, mobility and aging. Aging Cell. 2024 Jun;23(6):e14059. doi: 10.1111/acel.14059. Epub 2023 Dec 7. PMID: 38059319; PMCID: PMC11166361.
• Redefining Protein Needs for Older Adults: My research has demonstrated that both the amount and within-day distribution of protein intake are crucial for preserving muscle mass and strength in older adults. These findings inform more personalized dietary recommendations to prevent sarcopenia and support functional independence.
  • Farsijani S, Morais JA, Payette H, Gaudreau P, Shatenstein B, Gray-Donald K, Chevalier S. Relation between mealtime distribution of protein intake and lean mass loss in free-living older adults of the NuAge study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2016 Sep;104(3):694-703. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.116.130716. Epub 2016 Jul 27. PMID: 27465379.
  • Farsijani S, Payette H, Morais JA, Shatenstein B, Gaudreau P, Chevalier S. Even mealtime distribution of protein intake is associated with greater muscle strength, but not with 3-y physical function decline, in free-living older adults: the Quebec longitudinal study on Nutrition as a Determinant of Successful Aging (NuAge study). Am J Clin Nutr. 2017 Jul;106(1):113-124. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.116.146555. Epub 2017 May 17. PMID: 28515070.
• Integrating Gut Microbiome into Nutrition Science: Through my NIH-funded study, I collected and analyzed gut microbiome data to understand how diet influences mobility function in aging. This work bridges nutritional epidemiology with microbiome science to identify dietary strategies that support healthy aging and informs precision nutrition approaches aimed at refining dietary recommendations based on individual biological profiles.
  • Farsijani S, Cauley JA, Peddada SD, Langsetmo L, Shikany JM, Orwoll ES, Ensrud KE, Cawthon PM, Newman AB. Relation Between Dietary Protein Intake and Gut Microbiome Composition in Community-Dwelling Older Men: Findings from the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study (MrOS). J Nutr. 2023 Jan 14;152(12):2877-2887. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxac231. PMID: 36205552; PMCID: PMC9839986.
  • Farsijani S, Cauley JA, Cawthon PM, Langsetmo L, Orwoll ES, Kado DM, Kiel DP, Newman AB. Associations Between Walking Speed and Gut Microbiome Composition in Older Men From the MrOS Study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2024 Apr 1;79(4):glae030. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glae030. PMID: 38271209; PMCID: PMC10924448.
• Using Omics to Understand Aging Biology: I apply omics tools, including metabolomics, transcriptomics, to uncover biological mechanisms linking diet and muscle health in aging populations. This integrative work supports precision nutrition approaches that move beyond one-size-fits-all guidelines.
  • Farsijani S, Marron MM, Miljkovic I, Baugh ME, Kritchevsky SB, Newman AB. Metabolic Markers Demonstrate the Heterogeneity of Myosteatosis in Community-Dwelling Older Black Men from the Health ABC Study. Metabolites. 2021 Apr 7;11(4):224. doi: 10.3390/metabo11040224. PMID: 33917005; PMCID: PMC8067743.
  • Yao S, Marron MM, Farsijani S, Miljkovic I, Tseng GC, Shah RV, Murthy VL, Newman AB. Metabolomic characterization of unintentional weight loss among community-dwelling older Black and White men and women. Aging Cell. 2025 Mar;24(3):e14410. doi: 10.1111/acel.14410. Epub 2024 Nov 15. PMID: 39544124; PMCID: PMC11896220.
• Mentoring and Public Health Education: I am deeply committed to preparing the next generation of public health scientists through active mentorship of PhD, master's/MPH students, and postdoctoral fellows. My mentees have received competitive awards and presented at national meetings. I also lead curriculum development in nutritional epidemiology, aiming to inspire innovative thinking, research excellence, and a passion for advancing public health nutrition.

Full bibliography