Texas Tech University

Nikhil Dhurandhar, Ph.D.

Associate Dean for Innovation, Chairperson, Helen Devitt Jones Endowed Chair, and Horn Distinguished Professor
Nutritional Sciences

Email: Nikhil.Dhurandhar@ttu.edu

Phone: (806) 834-6446

Room: HS 402F

Dr. Nikhil V. Dhurandhar, is a Paul W. Horn Distinguished Professor, Helen Devitt Jones Endowed Chair, Chairperson of the Department of Nutritional Sciences and Associate Dean for Innovation for the College of Health and Human Sciences at Texas Tech University (TTU), Lubbock, TX, USA. Previously, he was the John Henry Hernandez endowed Professor in Health Promotion at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center of Louisiana State University, LA, and the William Hardy Endowed Chair in Obesity Research at Wayne State University, MI.  During 2014-2015, he was president of The Obesity Society, which is the premier professional organization representing Canada, United States and Mexico.  He was Editor-In-Chief of Nutrition and Diabetes and now Editor-In-Chief of the International Journal of Obesity from January 2021.  As a physician and nutritional biochemist, he has been involved with obesity treatment and research for 40 years and has treated over 15,000 patients for obesity using lifestyle therapy as well as medication.  His book, “Dr. Dhurandhar’s Fat Loss Diet” was #1 Best Seller on Amazon India, and the Times of India listed it as one of the 10 most dependable books on weight loss published in 2018. 

Dr. Dhurandhar received the 2015 Osborne and Mendel award from the American Society for Nutrition given for “outstanding recent basic research accomplishments in nutrition”, the 2017 Bluebonnet Award from the Texas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to recognize an individual who is not a dietitian, but who has contributed significantly to the advancement of nutrition and dietetics in Texas, a joint award from the American Society for Nutrition and the Korean Nutrition Society (2017) in recognition of outstanding research in nutrition science and practice, the 2018 Barnie Rushing Jr. Faculty Distinguished Research Award from TTU, President’s Excellence in Research Commercialization Award for 2022 from TTU, and The George Bray Founders Award from The Obesity Society, 2022 for significant contributions that advance the scientific or clinical basis for understanding or treating obesity and for extensive involvement with The Obesity Society, and the Paul W. Horn Distinguished Professorship, -the highest honor bestowed by TTU, in 2023.

Dr. Dhurandhar has received over $10 Million as grants and endowments for research, plus, about $4.5 Million in grants as a co-investigator from the NIH, NSF, and other non-profit or commercial funding sources. He has received 50 US and international patents that address various aspects of obesity and diabetes and has been funded for promoting drug development for diabetes.  Dr. Dhurandhar has been a reviewer of grants for various funding agencies including the National Institutes of Health and the American Diabetes Association, and has been a consultant to various organizations and companies.  Dr. Dhurandhar has published over 180 scientific publications and given over 150 invited talks and keynote addresses. He is included in the Stanford University-Elsevier list of top 2% of most highly cited researchers in the world

Dr. Dhurandhar conducts basic and clinical research in nutrition.  He focuses on molecular biological aspects of obesity and diabetes in particular, obesity due to viruses, as well as clinical treatment of obesity. Along with colleagues, he identified two viruses that cause obesity in animal models. Humans infected with these viruses show greater risk for obesity.  He coined the term “Infectibesity” to describe the field of obesity of infectious origin. He has conducted numerous clinical studies to examine the effect of drugs as well as foods such as breakfast cereals or eggs, on obesity, satiety and various metabolic parameters.  His pioneering studies demonstrated the role of eggs in inducing satiety and weight loss. He has served as a mentor or advisor for several students and postdoctoral fellows. Four of his graduate students were Young Investigator Award finalists in international competitions. One student won the award at the International Congress on Obesity in Sydney, Australia, in 2006. Several other students have won research awards. 

Esquire magazine included him in their list of thirty “Best and Brightest Minds in the U.S.” His life and work have been featured by numerous media outlets and documentaries, including Times of India, Indian Express, New York Times, National Geographic, BBC-UK, CNN.

Research Interests

Nikhil Dhurandhar

Education

B.Sc. (Chemistry), M.S. (Nutrition), LCEH (Human Medicine), PhD (Biochemistry)

Publications

Peer-reviewed Journal Articles (Selected from 187)

  1. Dhurandhar NV and Kulkarni PR. Prevalence of obesity in Bombay.  International Journal of Obesity, 1992; 16: 367-375.
  2. Dhurandhar NV, Kulkarni PR, Ajinkya SM and Sherikar AA. Effect of adenovirus infection on adiposity in chickens.  Veterinary Microbiology, 1992; 31: 101-107.
  3. Dhurandhar NV, Atkinson RL. Appetite-suppressant drugs and primary pulmonary hypertension. New England Journal of Medicine 1997; 336:511.
  4. Atkinson RL, Blank RC, Schumacher D, Dhurandhar NV and Ritch DL. Long-term drug treatment of obesity in a private practice setting.  Obesity Research 1997, 5:578-586.
  5. Dhurandhar NV, Whigham LD, Abbott Dh, Schultz-Darken NJ, Israel BA, Bradley SM, Kemnitz JW, Allison DB and Atkinson RL.  Human adenovirus Ad-36 promotes weight gain in male rhesus and marmoset  monkeys.  Journal of Nutrition 2002; 132:3155-3160.
  6. Vangipuram SD, Yu M, Tian J, Stanhope KL, Pasarica M, Havel PJ, Heydari AR and Dhurandhar NV.  Adipogenic Human Adenovirus-36 Reduces Leptin Expression and Secretion and Increases Glucose Uptake by Fat Cells.  International Journal of Obesity 2007 Jan;31(1):87-96.
  7. Pasarica M, Mashtalir N, McAllister EJ, Kilroy GE, Koska J, Permana P, de Courten B, Yu M, Ravussin E, Gimble JM, Dhurandhar NV.  Adipogenic Human Adenovirus Ad-36 Induces Commitment, Differentiation and Lipid Accumulation in Human Adipose-derived Stem Cells.  Stem Cells.  2008; 26(4):969-78.
  8. Wang ZQ, Cefalu WT, Zhang XH, Yu Y, Qin J, Son L, Rogers PM, Mashtalir N, Bordelon J, Ye J and Dhurandhar NV.  Human adenovirus type 36 enhances glucose uptake in diabetic and non-diabetic human skeletal muscle cells independent of insulin signaling.  Diabetes. 2008; 57(7):1805-13.
  9. Rogers PM, Mashtalir N, Rathod MA, Dubuisson O, Wang Z, Dasuri K, Babin S, Gupta A, Markward N, Cefalu WT,Dhurandhar NV.  Metabolically Favorable Remodeling of Human   Adipose Tissue by Human Adenovirus Ad-36.  Diabetes. 2008; 57(9):2321-31.
  10. Rathod MA, Rogers PM, Vangipuram SD, McAllister EJ, and Dhurandhar NV. Adipogenic Cascade can be Induced without Adipogenic Media by a Human Adenovirus. Obesity  2009;17(4):657-64.
  11. Krishnapuram R, Dhurandhar EJ, Dubuisson O, Kirk-Ballard H, Bajpeyi S, Butte N, Sothern MS, Larsen-Meyer E, Chalew S, Bennett B, Gupta AK, Greenway FL, Johnson W, McGlone M,   Reinhart G, Rankinen T, Bouchard C, Cefalu WT, Ye J, Javier R, Zuberi A and Dhurandhar NV.   Metabolic engineering by adenovirus 36 offers a template for improving glycemic control and hepatic steatosis without weight loss. American Journal of Physiology Endocrinol Metab  2011    May;300(5):E779-89.
  12. Dubuisson O, Dhurandhar EJ, Krishnapuram R, Kirk-Ballard H, Gupta AK, Hegde V, Floyd E,  Gimble JM,  and Dhurandhar NV.   PPARγ-independent increase in glucose uptake and adiponectin abundance in fat cells.  Endocrinology, 2011: 152(10): 3648-60.
  13. Rubicz R, Leach CT, Kraig E, Dhurandhar NV, Blangero J, Yolken R, Göring HH. Genetic factors influence serological measures of common infections.  Human Heredity.   2011: 2011;72(2):133-41.
  14. Dhurandhar NV. A framework for identifying infections that contribute to human Obesity.  Lancet Infectious Diseases 2011; 11(12): 963-69.
  15. Lin WY, Dubuisson O, Rubicz R, Liu N, Allison DB, Curran JE, Comuzzie AG,  Blangero J,  Leach CT,  Göring H,  and Dhurandhar NV.  Long term changes in adiposity and glycemic control are associated with past adenovirus infection.  Diabetes Care 2013, 36(3):701-7.
  16. Rubicz R, Yolken R, Drigalenko E, Carless MA, Dyer TD, Bauman L, Melton PE, Kent JW,  Harley JB,  Duggirala R,  Curran JE,  Johnson MP,  Cole SA, Almasy L,  Moses E,  Dhurandhar NV, Kraig E,  Blangero J,  Leach CT, Göring HHH. A Genome-Wide Integrative Genomic Study Localizes Genetic Factors Influencing Antibodies Against Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigen 1 (EBNA-1).  PLoS Genetics 2013;9(1):e1003147.
  17. Wang Y, Wang H, Hegde V, Dubuisson O, Gao Z, Dhurandhar NV, Ye J. Interplay of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines to determine lipid accretion in adipocytes.  Int J Obes (Lond). 2013 Feb 5. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2013.9.
  18. Krishnapuram R, Dhurandhar EJ, Dubuisson, O, Hegde V Dhurandhar NV. Doxycycline-regulated 3T3-L1 preadipocyte cell line with inducible, stable expression of adenoviral E4orf1 gene: A cell model to study insulin-independent glucose disposal. PLOS ONE 2013;8(3):e60651
  19. Na HN, Dubuisson O, Hegde V, Nam JH, Dhurandhar NV. Human adenovirus Ad36 and its E4orf1 gene enhance cellular glucose uptake even in the presence of inflammatory   Biochimie 2014 Nov 15. pii: S0300-9084(14)00334-4. doi: 10.1016/j.biochi.2014.11.005
  20. Dhurandhar NV, Schoeller D, Brown AW, Heymsfield SB, Thomas D, Sorensen TIA, Speakman JR, Jeansonne M, Allison DB and the Energy Balance Measurement Working Group.  Energy Balance Measurement: When Something is Not Better than Nothing. Int J Obes (Lond). 2014 Nov 13. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2014.199.
  21. Dhurandhar NV and Thomas D. The Link Between Dietary Sugar Intake and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality - An Unresolved Question. JAMA 2015, Mar 3;313(9):959-60.
  22. Dhurandhar NV, Schoeller D, Brown AW, Heymsfield SB, Thomas D, Sørensen TI, Speakman JR, Jeansonne M, Allison DB.  Authors' response to LTE for 'Energy balance measurement: When something is not better than nothing'.  Int J Obes (Lond). 2015 Apr 30. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2015.81.
  23. Sperling LS, Mechanick JI, Neeland IJ, Herrick CJ, Després JP, Ndumele CE, Vijayaraghavan K, Handelsman Y, Puckrein GA, Araneta MRG, Blum QK, Collins KK, Cook S, Dhurandhar NV, Dixon DL, Egan BM, Ferdinand DP, Herman LM, Hessen SE, Jacobson TA, Pate RR, Ratner RE, Brinton EA, Forker AD, Ritzenthaler LL, Grundy SM.  The CardioMetabolic Health Alliance: Working Toward a New Care Model for the Metabolic Syndrome.  J Am Coll Cardiol 2015 Sep 1;66(9):1050-67.
  24. Dhurandhar NV and Thomas D. Response to LTR. The Link Between Dietary Sugar Intake and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality - An Unresolved Question. JAMA 2015 Jul 14;314(2):187-188. doi: 10.1001/jama.2015.6227.
  25. Kusminski CM, Gallardo-Montejano VI, Wang ZV, Hegde V, Bickel PE, Dhurandhar NV, Scherer PE. E4orf1 induction in adipose tissue promotes insulin-independent signaling in the adipocyte. Molecular Metabolism, 2015 Jul 26;4(10):653-64.
  26. McMurphy TB, Huang W, Xiao R, Liu X, Dhurandhar NV, Cao L. Hepatic Expression of Adenovirus 36 E4ORF1 Improves Glycemic Control  and Promotes Glucose Metabolism via AKT Activation.  Diabetes 2017, 66: 358-371.
  27. Dhurandhar NV and Binks M. When to eat.  Am J Clin Nutr 2017 Nov;106(5):1171-1172.
  28. Kaplan LM, Golden A, Jinnett K, Kolotkin RL, Kyle TK, Look M, Nadglowski J, O'Neil PM, Parry T, Tomaszewski KJ, Stevenin B, Lilleøre SK, Dhurandhar NV.  Perceptions of    Barriers to Effective Obesity Care: Results from the National ACTION Study.  Obesity    2018; 26(1):61-69.
  29. Shastri AA, Hegde V, Peddibhotla S, Feizy Z, Dhurandhar NV. E4orf1: A Protein for Enhancing Glucose Uptake Despite Impaired Proximal Insulin Signaling.  PLoS ONE 2018; Dec 6;13(12):e0208427.
  30. Peddibhotla S, Hegde V, Akheruzzaman M, Dhurandhar NV. E4orf1 protein reduces the need for endogenous insulin.  Nutr Diabetes. 2019 May 24;9(1):17. doi: 10.1038/s41387-019-0085-x.
  31. Look M, Kolotkin RL, Dhurandhar NV, Nadglowski J, Stevenin B, Golden A. Implications of differing attitudes and experiences between providers and persons with obesity: results of the national ACTION study.  Postgrad Med. 2019 Jun 3:1-9. doi: 10.1080/00325481.2019.1620616.
  32. Dhurandhar NV, Kyle T, Stevenin B, Tomaszewski K; ACTION Steering Group. Predictors of weight loss outcomes in obesity care: results of the national ACTION study. BMC  Public Health. 2019 Oct 30;19(1):1422. doi: 10.1186/s12889-019-7669-1.
  33. Akheruzzaman M, Hegde V, Shin AC, Dhurandhar NV. Reducing endogenous insulin is linked with protection against hepatic steatosis in mice. Nutr Diabetes. 2020;10(1):11. Published 2020 Apr 14. doi:10.1038/s41387-020-0114-9.
  34. Feizy Z, Peddibhotla S, Khan S, Hegde V, Wang S, Dhurandhar NV. Nanoparticle-mediated in vitro delivery of E4orf1 to preadipocytes is a clinically relevant delivery system to improve glucose uptake [published online ahead of print, 2020 Jan 21]. Int J Obes (Lond). 2020;10.1038/s41366-020-0526-6. doi:10.1038/s41366-020-0526-6.
  35. Thomas DM, Sturdivant R, Dhurandhar NV, Debroy S, Clark N. A primer on COVID-19 mathematical models.  Obesity 2020 May 9; 10.1002/oby.22881.
  36. Mostofinejad Z, Akheruzzaman Md, Siddik AB, Patkar P, Dhurandhar NV, Hegde V. Anti-diabetic E4orf1 protein prevents hepatic steatosis and reduces markers of aging-related cellular damage in high fat fed older mice.  BMJ-Open Diabetes Research & Care.  2021, May;9(1):e002096. doi: 10.1136/bmjdrc-2020-002096.
  37. Dhurandhar NV, Petersen KS, Webster C. Key Causes and Contributors of Obesity: A Perspective. Nurs Clin North Am. 2021 Dec;56(4):449-464. doi: 10.1016/j.cnur.2021.07.007.PMID: 34749887.
  38. Akheruzzaman Md, Hegde V, Siddik AB, Feizy Z, Shin A, and Dhurandhar NV.  E4orf1-induced reduction in endogenous insulin level is independent of pancreas endocrine function.  Int J Obesity 2022 Jan 12. doi: 10.1038/s41366-021-01062-3.
  39. Dhurandhar NV. What is obesity?  Obesity Musings.  Int J Obes (Lond). 2022 Mar 14. doi: 10.1038/s41366-022-01088-1. PMID: 35288621. 
  40. Dhurandhar NV. The simplistic view of obesity management: a curse in disguise.  Int J Obes (Lond). 2022 May 19. doi: 10.1038/s41366-022-01144-w.  PMID: 35589961.
  41. Dehghani F, Ali Ahmadi M, Hefner M, Kudchadkar G, Najam W, Nateqi M, Siddik MAB, Booe H, Dhurandhar NV.An algorithm for the use of anti-obesity medications.  Nutr Diabetes. 2024 Apr 18;14(1):20. doi: 10.1038/s41387-024-00278-2.
  42. Hefner M, Kudchadkar G, Hia RA, Sultan MA, Booe H, Dhurandhar NV.Confronting the challenge of promoting fruit and vegetable intake for obesity management: An alternative approach.  Int J Obes (Lond). 2024 Apr 17. doi: 10.1038/s41366-024-01520-8.
  43. Kudchadkar G, Akinsiku O, Hefner M, Ozioma PU, Booe H, Dhurandhar NV.  Shedding   the weight of exercise for obesity management. Int J Obes (Lond). 2024 May 1. doi:  1038/s41366-024-01527-1. 
  44. Ranjbar S, Akinsiku O, Hefner M, Jafari F, Kudchadkar G, Zaroudi M, Nathan A, Booe H, and Dhurandhar   Management of Obesities with a Cause Specific Approach.  Int J Obes (Lond). 2024.  doi: 10.1038/s41366-024-01539-x. 
  45. Magkos F, Sørensen TIA, Raubenheimer D, Dhurandhar NV, Loos RJF, Bosy-Westphal A, Clemmensen C, Hjorth MF, Allison DB, Taubes G, Ravussin E, Friedman MI, Hall KD, Ludwig DS, Speakman JS, Astrup A. On the pathogenesis of obesity: causal models and missing pieces of the puzzle.  Nature Metabolism  2024 Aug 20. doi: 10.1038/s42255-024-01106-8.
  46. Grosicki GJ, Thomas G, Dhurandhar NV, Lofton H, Heymsfield SB, Jonnalagadda SS. GLP-1 RA Discontinuation is Higher in Individuals with Overweight and Obesity Without Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. 2024. Accepted.

 

Books  and Book Chapters

  1. Atkinson RL, Dhurandhar NV. Body Weight: Biology, Not Behavior. Encyclopedia Britannica Medical and Health Annual, Editor: Bernstein E, Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., Chicago, 1998; 307-310.
  2. Atkinson RL and Dhurandhar NV. Complications of obesity. In Encyclopedia of Human Nutrition. eds. MJ Sadler, B Caballero, JJ Strain. Academic Press.
  3. Hatahet MA and Dhurandhar NV. Assessment of Medical Status and Physical Factors.  In “Handbook of Obesity and eating Disorders. ed:  Kevin Thompson, Wiley 2004, New Jersey 372-392.
  4. Dhurandhar NV. Obesity: An Infectious Disease?  In “Weight Management: State of the Science and Opportunities for Military Programs”.  Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.  The National Academies Press 2003, 224-228.
  5. Dhurandhar NV, Dhurandhar EJ, and Atkinson RL. Viral Infections and Obesity. In  ‘Handbook of Obesity’, Vol. 1, Epidemiology, Etiology, and Physiopathology, Third Edition.  Editors: George A. Bray and Claude Bouchard. 
  6. Dhurandhar NV. Adipose tissue expansion for improving glycemic control.  In “Controversies in Obesity”. Editors David W. Haslam, Arya Sharma, and Carel Le Roux. Springer. 2012.
  7. Dhurandhar NV and Dhurandhar    The role of eggs in weight management   RR Watson and F. De Meester (eds) Handbook of eggs in human function.  Human Health Handbook No 9 – DOI 10.3920/978-90-8686-804-9_4 C  Wageningen Academic Publishers 2015.
  8. Voss JD and Dhurandhar NV. Viral infections and obesity.  Curr Obes Rep. 2017 Mar;6(1):28-37. doi: 10.1007/s13679-017-0251-1.
  9. Dhurandhar NV. Dhurandhar’s Fat Loss Diet.  Jan 2018.  Harper Collins Publishers.
  10. Dhurandhar, N., Pasarica, M. PHARMACOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT OF THE PATIENT WITH OBESITY. In John Rippe (Ed.), Nutrition in Lifestyle Medicine. Springer.2018 (in press).
  11. Hegde V., Dhurandhar N.V. (2020) From Adipogenic Viruses to Antidiabetic Drug: A Translational Journey. pp 97-106.  In: Faintuch J., Faintuch S. (eds) Obesity and Diabetes. Springer, Cham. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-53370-0_7#citeas.
  12. Akheruzzaman Md., Hegde V and Dhurandhar NV. COVID-19, Other Microbial Infections, and Obesity.  In “Handbook of Obesity”. Eds George Bray & Claude Bouchard. Chapter 34, volume 1. 2022.    

 

Invited Review Articles

  1. Dhurandhar NV. Infections and body weight: An emerging relationship ?  Guest Editorial.  International  Journal of  Obesity 2002: 26, 745-746.
  2. Rebello CJ, Liu AG, Greenway FL and Dhurandhar NV. Dietary Strategies to Increase Satiety.  Advances in Food and Nutrition Research 2013;69:105-82.


Review Articles

  1. McAllister EJ, Dhurandhar NV, Keith SW, Aronne LJ, Barger J, Baskin M, Benca RM, Biggio J, Boggiano MM,  Eisenmann JC, Elobeid M, Fontaine KR, Gluckman P, Hanlon EC,  Katzmarzyk P, Pietrobelli A, Redden DT, Ruden DM, Wang C, Waterland RA, Wright SM, Allison DB. 10 Putative Contributors to the Obesity Epidemic.  Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition2009 Nov;49(10):868-913.
  2. Dhurandhar NV, Geurts L, Atkinson RL, Casteilla L, Clement K, Gerard P, Vijay-Kumar M, Nam JH, Nieuwdorp M, Trovato G, Sørensen TIA, Vidal-Puig A, Cani PD. Harnessing the Beneficial Properties of Adipogenic Microbes for Improving Human Health.  Obesity Reviews. 2013, doi: 10.1111/obr.12045. 
  3. Dhurandhar NV, Thomas D, Bailey D. Interaction of Obesity and Infections. Obesity Reviews. 2015 Dec;16(12):1017-29.
  4. Akheruzzaman, MD, Hegde V, Dhurandhar NV. Twenty-five years of Research about Adipogenic Adenoviruses: A Systematic Review.  Obesity Reviews. 2019;20:499– doi: 10.1111/obr.
  5. Webster CM, Mittal N, Dhurandhar EJ, Dhurandhar NV. Potential contributors to variation   in weight-loss response to liraglutide.  Obesity Reviews 2023.  Jul;24(7):e13568. doi:  1111/obr.13568.

 

Conference Proceedings

  1. Dhurandhar NV. In “National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2022. Engaging Communities in Addressing Structural Drivers of Obesity: Proceedings of a
    Workshop in Brief”    . Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
    https://doi.org/10.17226/26787

 

Abstracts in academic journals: 108

Oral presentations in scientific conferences: 44

Poster presentations in scientific conferences: 101

Invited talks and Keynote addresses: 152



Nutritional Sciences

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