Skip to the content of the web site.

Virtual Tour

Stark, Ken

Ken Stark photo

Contact:

Research:

An increased consumption of fish and seafood are associated with various health benefits.  Many of the health benefits have been attributed to the omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) that are found in fish.

My research is can be divided into three major themes:

1. The development of high throughput methods for fatty acid research and clinical assessment.

2. The metabolism of polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly the impact of gender and sex on DHA (22:6n-3).

3.  Dietary strategies to increase the intakes of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and the impact of dietary interventions on health.

Key Publications:

1. Patterson, A.C. and Stark, K.D. Direct determinations of the fatty acid composition of daily dietary intakes incorporating nutraceuticals and functional food strategies to increase n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids. Journal of the American College of Nutrition (in press, accepted April 23, 2008).

2. Stark, K.D. Analytical implications of routine clinical testing for omega-3 fatty acid biomarkers. Lipid Technology, 2008, 20, 177-179.

3. Armstrong, J.M., Metherel, A.H., and Stark, K.D. Direct microwave transesterification of fingertip prick blood samples for fatty acid determinations. Lipids, 2008, 43, 187-196.

4. Stark, K.D. The percentage of n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA) in total HUFA as a biomarker for omega-3 fatty acid status. Lipids, 2008, 43, 45-53.

5. Stark, K.D., Lim, S.Y. and Salem, N., Jr. Artificial rearing with docosahexaenoic acid and n-6 docosapentaenoic acid alters rat tissue fatty acid composition. Journal of Lipid Research, 2007, 48, 2471-2477.