










|
|
Personal Bio, Qualifications, and Experience

Loren Cordain, Ph.D.
Dr. Cordain received his
Ph.D. in Health from the University of Utah in 1981 and has been employed as a
Professor in the Department of Health and Exercise Science at Colorado State
University since 1982. He is married and has three sons.
Featured on Dateline NBC, the front page of
the Wall Street journal, and the New York Times, Loren Cordain is widely
acknowledged as one of the world's leading experts on the natural human diet
of our Stone Age ancestors. He is the author of more than 100 peer-reviewed
scientific articles and abstracts. His research into the health benefits
of Stone Age Diets for contemporary people has appeared in the world's top
scientific journals including the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,
the British Journal of Nutrition, and the European Journal of
Clinical Nutrition among others. Dr. Cordain's popular book, The Paleo Diet, has been widely acclaimed in both the scientific and lay communities. His next book, The
Paleo Diet for Athletes, was published in October 2005, and discusses how the Paleo Diet can be modified for the high-performance endurance athlete, and lead to improved health and performance. His latest book, The Dietary Cure for Acne, is available in paperback and as an instant download ebook. He is the recent recipient of the Scholarly Excellence award at Colorado State University for his contributions into understanding optimal human nutrition.
Q: When did you first become interested in nutrition?
A: I suppose it probably
began in my childhood, from my mother encouraging me to eat my fruits and
veggies and from my father giving me books about Stone Age people and how
they lived off the land from wild plants and animals. In the late 60’s and
early 70’s I was involved in intercollegiate athletics and became more
interested in diets that could improve my performance. I read a wide variety
of popular and now classic health books on vegetarian dieting such as Frances
Moore Lappe’s book, Diet for a Small Planet, and books by Norman Walker, Paavo
Airola, and others. Later, as a graduate student at the University of
Nevada-Reno, and as a doctoral student at the University of Utah, I became
involved in research involving body-fat measurements. As a young professor at
Colorado State University, I initiated a wide
variety of research projects involving diet and athletic performance with the help of my graduate students. I was
introduced to the Paleo Diet concept in about 1987 when I read Dr. Boyd
Eaton’s seminal New England Journal of Medicine paper, Paleolithic
Nutrition. It made perfect sense to me at the time, and I voraciously read
everything I could about the concept and related topics. A number of years
later, I gave Dr. Eaton a call and invited him to speak at Colorado State
University. We hit it off after our meeting, began writing together, and
the rest can be found in the scientific literature.
EDUCATION
Ph.D., 1981, University of Utah, Health - Physical Education, Minor: Exercise Physiology
M.S., 1978, University of Nevada-Reno,
Physical Education, Minor: Exercise Physiology
B.S., 1974, Pacific University, Health
Sciences
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
| Title |
Institution |
Dates |
| Professor |
Colorado State
University, Department of Health
and Exercise Science |
1990‑Present |
| Director, Human Performance Lab |
|
1981‑1997 |
| Director, Graduate Studies |
|
1983-1996 |
| Sabbatical Leave |
|
1989, 1996, 2003 |
| Associate Professor |
|
1985-1990 |
| Assistant Professor |
|
1982-1985 |
| Lecturer |
|
1981-1982 |
| Graduate Research Assistant |
University of Utah |
1979-1981 |
| Graduate Teaching Assistant |
University of Nevada-Reno |
1976-1978 |
AWARDS AND HONORS
The American College for Advancement in Medicine's annual "Denham Harmon
Lecture," May 2004. This lecture is awarded to a scientist whose research was
judged to have the greatest national impact upon complementary medical care by
the American College for Advancement in Medicine.
Scholarly Excellence Award, College of
Applied Human Sciences, April 2002.
Nomination to "American Men and Women of
Science,"Fall 1994.
Nomination to Marquis Who's Who in Science
and Engineering, 12 October 1993.
Supervisor, M. Bizeau's Master's thesis, "Metabolic Responses to Submaximal and
Maximal Exercise Following Three Weeks of Dietary Fish Oil Supplementation"
which was chosen to represent CSU from a University-wide selection process at
the Midwest Association of Graduate Schools, 1993 Distinguished Master's thesis
award.
Supervisor, H. Reynolds Master's thesis, "Influence of Post‑Exercise Glucose
Ingestion on Plasma Potassium Levels and ECG Measurements" which was chosen to
represent CSU from a University-wide selection process at the Midwest
Association of Graduate Schools, 1992 Distinguished Master's thesis award.
Induction into the University of
Nevada‑Reno, Sports Hall of Fame, 10 October 1991.
College of Professional Studies, Faculty
Service Award (Department of Physical Education Outstanding Teacher), Fall
1984.
Colorado State University Chapter,
Phi Delta Kappa, Outstanding Researcher Award, 1983.
College of Professional Studies, Faculty
Service Award (Department of Physical Education Outstanding Teacher), Fall
1982.
Colorado State University Alumni
Award for Outstanding Faculty Member in the College of Professional Studies,
Spring Commencement, 1982.
Assistant Coach, AIAW Small College National
Swimming and Diving Champions, 1979.
|
|