Barry Sears, Ph.D.

Address:                      200 Corporate Place, Peabody MA 01960
Date of Birth:              June 6, 1947
Place of Birth:             Long Beach, CA

Research Interests:     
Dietary modulation of hormonal and epigenetic responses to treat chronic disease conditions associated with inflammation.

Education:
1964-1968                   A.B. (with Honors) Occidental College
1968-1971                   Ph.D. Indiana University

Postdoctoral Training:
1971-1974                  University of Virginia Medical School, Department of Biochemistry
1974-1975                  Boston University Medical School, Department of Medicine

Academic and Non-Profit Positions:
1975-1978                   Research Instructor, Department of Medicine, Boston University Medical School
1978-1982                   Staff Scientist, National Magnet Laboratory, Massachusetts

Institute of Technology
2003-present               President, Inflammation Research Foundation, Peabody, MA
2016-present               Voluntary Assistant Professor of Surgery, University of Miami Medical School
2016-present               Adjunct Faculty, School of Nutrition and Health Promotion, College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University
2023-present               Visiting Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cartagena, Columbia         

Industrial Positions:
1976-1986                   President, Lipid Specialties, Inc.
1982-1986                   President, PGE Technologies, Inc.
1986-1992                   President, BIOSYN, Inc.
1992-present               President, Surfactant Technologies, Inc.
1996-1999                   President of Zone Perfect, Inc.
1999-present               President, Zone Labs, Inc.
2006-present               President, MedWell Foods, Inc.
2020-present               President, Senotec Labs, LLC

Professional Memberships:
American Oil Chemists Society
International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids
American Diabetes Association
Obesity Society
American Society of Bariatric Physicians

Editorial Board Membership:
European Review of Medical and Pharmacological Science
CellR4:  Repair, Replacement, Regeneration, and Reprogramming
Nutrients:  Topics Board

Publications

  1. Griffiths RR, Sears B, and Jennings LB.”Specificity of transfer of a learned response by intracisternal injection of brain extract from trained rats: negative findings.” Psychological Reports 25:339-348 (1969)

  2. Baumrucker J, Calzadilla M, Centeno M, Lehrmann G, Linquist P, Dunham D, Price M, Sears B, and Cordes EH.”Secondary valence force catalysis.  XI.  Enhanced reactivity and affinity of cyanide ions elicted by ionic surfactants.”  J Phys Chem 74:1152-1156 (1970)

  3. Baumrucker J, Calzadilla M, Centeno M, Lehrmann G, Urdaneta M, Linquist P, Dunham D, Price M, Sears B, and Cordes EH.”Secondary valence force catalysis.  XII.  Enhanced reactivity and affinity of cyanide toward N-substituted 3-carbomoyl-pyridinium ions elicted by ionic surfactants and biological lipids.”  J Am Chem Soc 94:8162-8172 (1972)

  4. Williams E, Sears B, Allerhand A, and Cordes EH.”Segmental motion of amphipathic molecules in aqueous solutions and micelles.  Applications of natural abundance 13C partially relaxed fourier transform nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.  J Am Chem Soc 95:4871-4874 (1973)

  5. Sears B, Hutton WC, and Thompson TE.”13C NMR studies on bilayers formed from synthetic di-10-methyl-stearoyl phosphatidylcholine enriched with 13C in the N-methyl carbons.”  Biochem Biophys Res Comm 60:1141-147 (1974)

  6. Sears B.”13C nuclear magnetic resonance studies of egg phosphatidylcholine.” J Mem Biol 20:59-73 (1975)

  7. Sears B, Hutton WC, and Thompson TE. “Effects of paramagnetic shift reagents on the 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of egg phosphatidylcholine enriched with 13C in the N-methyl carbons.” Biochemistry 15:1635-1639 (1976)

  8. Yeagle PE, Hutton WC, Martin RB, Sears B, and Huang C.”Transmembrane asymmetry of vesicle lipids.”  J Biol Chem 251:2110-2114 (1976)

  9. Sears B, Deckelbaum RJ, Janiak MJ, Shipley GG, and Small DM.”Temperature dependent 13C nuclear magnetic resonance studies of human serum low density lipoproteins.”  Biochemistry 15:4151-4157 (1976)

  10. Curatolo WC, Shipley GG, Small DM, Sears B, and Neuringer LJ.”Effect of lectin-induced agglutination on 13C nuclear magnetic resonance line width in sonicated phospholipid/glycolipid vesicles.”  J Amer Chem Soc 99:6771-6772 (1977)

  11. Roseman MA, Lentz B, Sears B, Gibbes D, and Thompson TE.”Properties of sonicated vesicles of three synthetic phospholipids.”  Chem Phys Lipids 21:205-210 (1978)

  12. Curatolo WC, Yau AO, Small DM, and Sears B.”Lectin-induced agglutination of phospholipid/glycolipid vesicles.”  Biochemistry 17:5740-5744 (1978)

  13. Neuringer LJ, Sears B, and Jungalwala FB.”Difference in orientational order in phospholipid and sphingomyelin bilayers.  FEBS Letters 104:173-175 (1979)

  14. Neuringer LJ, Sears B, and Jungalwala FB. “2H NMR studies of the interaction of cerebrosides with dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine in bilayers.” Biochim Biophys Acta 558:325-329 (1979)

  15. Widder KJ, Senyei AE, and Sears B.”Experimental methods in cancer therapeutics.”  J Pharm Sci 71:379-387 (1982)

  16. Mendelsohn R, Dluhy RA, Curatolo WC, and Sears B.”Order and fluidity in terminal methyl regions of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine mutilayers:  a comparison of Raman and deuterium NMR spectroscopy.”  Chem Phys Lipids 30:287-291 (1983)

  17. Stark RE, Manstein JL, Curatolo WC, and Sears B.”Deuterium NMR of bile salt/phosphatidylcholine mixed micelles.”  Biochemistry 22:2486-2490 (1983)

  18. Curatolo WC, Sears B, and Neuringer LJ. “A calorimetry and deuterium NMR study of mixed model membranes of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleyl phosphatidylcholine and saturated phosphatidylcholines.”  Biochim Biophys Acta 817:261-270 (1985)

  19. Curatolo WC, Jungalwala FB, Sears B, Tuck L, and Neuringer LJ.”Deuterium NMR spectroscopy of biosynthetically deuterated mammalian tissues.”  Biochemistry 24:4360-4364 (1985)

  20. Sears B. “Essential fatty acids and dietary endocrinology: A hypothesis for cardiovascular treatment.”  J Adv Med6:211-224 (1993)

  21. Sears B.“The Zone diet and athletic performance.”  Sports Med 29:289-291 (2000)

  22. Bell SJ and Sears B. “Low-glycemic load diets: Impact on obesity and chronic diseases.”  Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr43:357-377 (2003)

  23. Bell SJ and Sears B.”A proposal for a new national diet:  A low glycemic-load diet with a unique macronutrient composition.”  Metabol Synd Related Disord 1:199-208 (2003)

  24. Bell SJ and Sears B.“The Zone diet:  An anti-inflammatory, low glycemic-load diet.”  Metabol Synd and Related Disord 2:24-38 (2004)

  25. Johnston CS, Tjonn S, Swan PD, White A, Hutchins H, and Sears B. “Ketogenic low-carbohydrate diets have no metabolic advantage over nonketogenic low-carbohydrate diets.” Am J Clin Nutr 83:1055-1061 (2006)

  26. Johnston CS, Tjonn SL, Swan PD, White A, and Sears B. “Low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets that restrict potassium-rich fruits and vegetables promote calciuria.” Osteoporos Int 17:1820-1821 (2006)

  27. Johnston, CS, White AM, Tjonn, S, Swan PD, Hutchins H, and Sears B. “Ketogenic low-carbohydrate diets have no metabolic advantage over nonketogenic low-carbohydrate diets. Reply to NJ Krilanovich.” Am J Clin Nutr 85:239 (2007)

  28. Sorgi PJ, Hallowell EM, Hutchins HL, and Sears B. “Effects of an open-label pilot study with high-dose EPA/DHA concentrates on plasma phospholipids and behavior in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.” Nutr J 13:16 (2007)

  29. White AM, Johnston CS, Swan PD, Tjonn SL, and Sears B. Blood ketones are directly related to fatigue and perceived effort during exercise in overweight adults adhering to low-carbohydrate diets for weight loss: A pilot study.” J Am Diet Assoc 107:1792-1796 (2007)

  30. Sears B.“Anti-inflammatory diets for obesity and diabetes.”  J Coll Amer Nutr 28:482S-491S (2009)

  31. Mills JD, Bailes JE, Sedney CL, Hutchins H, and Sears B.“Omega-3 dietary supplementation reduces traumatic axonal injury in a rodent head injury model”. J Neurosurgery 114:77-84 (2011)

  32. Sears B and Ricordi C.“Anti-inflammatory nutrition as a pharmacological approach to treat obesity.” J Obesity2011:431985 (2011)

  33. Sears B and Ricordi C.“Role of fatty acids and polyphenols in inflammatory gene transcription and their impact on obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes.”  Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 16:1137-1154 (2012)

  34. Lotrich, FE, Sears, B, and McNamara RK.“Elevated ratio of arachidonic acid to long-chain omega-3 fatty acids predicts depression development following interferon-alpha treatment: Relationship with interleukin-6.”  Brain, Behavior, and Immunity 31:48-53 (2013)

  35. Sears B, Bailes J, and Asselin B.“Therapeutic uses of high-dose omega-3 fatty acids to treat comatose patients with severe brain injury.”  PharmaNutrition 1:86-89 (2013)

  36. Lotrich FE, Sears B, and McNamara R.K.“Anger induced by interferon-alpha is moderated by ratio of arachidonic acid to omega-3 fatty acids.”  J Psychosomatic Res 75:475-483 (2013)

  37. McNamara RK, Perry M, and Sears, B.“Dissociation of C-reactive protein levels from long-chain omega-3 fatty acid status and anti-depressant response in adolescents with major depressive disorder:  an open-label dose-ranging trial.” J Nutr Therapeutics 2:235-243 (2013)

  38. Georgiou T, Neokleous A, Nikolaou D, and Sears B. “Pilot study for treating dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with high-dose omega-3 fatty acids.” PharmaNutrition 2:8-11 (2014)

  39. Sears B and Perry M.“The role of fatty acids in insulin resistance.”  Lipids Health Disease 14:121 (2015)

  40. Sears B. “Anti-inflammatory diets.” J Am Coll Nutr 34: Suppl 1 14-21 (2015)

  41. Lotrich FE, Sears B, and McNamara RK. “Polyunsaturated fatty acids moderate the effect of poor sleep on depression risk.”  Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 106:19-25 (2016)

  42. Sears B.“High-dose omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D for preservation of residual beta cell mass in type 1 diabetes.”  CellR4 4: e2107 (2016)

  43. Sears B.“Delaying adverse health consequences of aging:  The role of omega-3 fatty acids on inflammation and resoleomics.”  CellR4 4: e2111 (2016)

  44. Sears B.“Omega-3 fatty acids and cardiovascular disease:  Do placebo doses give placebo results?”  CellR4 5: e2302 (2017)

  45. Sears B.“Polyphenols: Novel applications in human health.”  CellR4 5: e2437 (2017)

  46. Johnson CS, Sears B, Perry M, and Knurick JR.“Use of novel high-protein functional food products as part of a calorie-restricted diet to reduce insulin resistance and increase lean body mass in adults:  A randomized controlled trial.” Nutrients 9:1182 (2017)

  47. Davinelli S, Corbi G, Righetti S, Sears B, Olarte HH, Grassi D, and Scapagnini G. “Cardioprotection by cocoa polyphenols and omega-3 fatty acids:  A disease-prevention perspective on aging-associated cardiovascular risk.”  J Med Food 21:1-10 (2018)

  48. Sears B.“Omega-3 fatty acids and cardiovascular disease:  Dose and AA/EPA ratio determine the therapeutic outcome.”  CellR4 6: e2531 (2018)

  49. Infante M, Sears B, Rizzo AM, Mariani Cerati D, Caprio M, Ricordi C, and Fabbri A.“Omega-3 PUFAs and vitamin D co-supplementation as a safe-effective therapeutic approach for core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder:  Case report and literature review.”  Nutr Neurosci 13:1-12 (2018)

  50. Sears B.“Appropriate doses of omega-3 fatty acids for therapeutic results.” CellR4 6: e2578 (2018)

  51. Infante, M, Ricordi C, Baidal DA, Alejandro R, Lonzoni G, Sears B, Caprio M, and Fabbri A. “VITAL study: An incomplete picture?”  Eur Rev Med Pharm Sci 23: 3142-3147 (2019)

  52. NaPier Z, Kanim LEA, Arabi Y, Salehi K, Sears B, Perry M, Kim S, Sheyn D, Bae HW, and Glaeser JD.“Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation reduces intervertebral disc degeneration.”  Med Sci Monit 14: 9531-9537 (2019)

  53. Bailes JE, Abusuwwa R, Chowdhry R, Schleicher D, Hempeck N, McErlane M, Gandhi YN, Bokhari F, Navarro N, Patel V, and Sears B.“Role of omega-3 fatty acids in outcomes of severe brain trauma:  A case series.” J Neurosurg 15:1-5 (2020)

  54. Sears B, Perry M, and Saha AK. “Dietary technologies to optimize healing from injury-induced inflammation.” Antiinflamm Antiallergy Agents Med Chem 20: 123-131 (2021)

  55. Sears B and Saha AK.“Dietary control of inflammation and resolution.”  Frontiers Nutr 8:709435 (2021)

  56. Borja-Magno A, Guevara-Cruz M, Flores-López A, Carrillo-Domínguez S , Granados J, Arias C , Perry M , Sears B, Bourges H, and Gomez FE.“Differential effects of high dose omega-3 fatty acids on metabolism and inflammation in patients with obesity:  Eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid supplementation.”  Front. Nutr. 10:1156995 (2023)

  57. Borja-Magno A, Furuzawa-Carballeda J, Guevara-Cruz M, Arias C, Granados J, Bourges H, Tovar AR, Sears B, Noriega LG, and Gomez FE.“Supplementation with EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids improves peripheral immune cell mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammation in subjects with obesity.”  J Nutr Biochem  120:109415 (2023)

 Books

  1. Sears B.The Zone.  Regan Books.  New York, NY (1995)

  2. Sears B.Mastering the Zone.  Regan Books. New York, NY (1997)

  3. Sears B.Zone Perfect Meals in Minutes.  Regan Books. New York, NY (1997)

  4. Sears B.Zone Food Blocks.  Regan Books.  New York, NY (1998)

  5. Sears B.The Anti-Aging Zone.  Regan Books. New York, NY (1999)

  6. Sears B.A Week in the Zone.  Regan Books. New York, NY (2000)

  7. Sears B.The Soy Zone. Regan Books.  New York, NY (2000)

  8. Sears B.100 Great Zone Foods.  Regan Books.  New York, NY (2001)

  9. Sears B.The OmegaRx Zone.  Regan Books.  New York, NY (2002)

  10. Sears B.What to Eat in the Zone.  Regan Books.  New York, NY (2003)

  11. Sears B and Sears L.Zone Meals in Seconds.  Regan Books.  New York, NY (2004)

  12. Sears B.The Anti-Inflammation Zone.  Regan Books. New York, NY (2005)

  13. Morandi D. and Sears B.Il Bello Della Zona.  Sperling and Kupfer.  Milan, IT (2007)

  14. Sears B.Toxic Fat.  Thomas Nelson. Nashville, TN (2008)

  15. Sears B. and Morandi D.La Zona del Futuro.  Sperling and Kupfer.  Milan, IT (2103)

  16. Sears B.The Mediterranean Zone. Ballantine Books.  New York, NY (2014) 

  17. Ferrazzi E. and Sears B. eds.Metabolic Syndrome and Complications of Pregnancy. Springer.  Heidelburg, Germany (2015)

  18. Sears B.Positive Nutrition.  Sperling and Kufper.  Milan, IT (2017)

  19. Sears, B.The Resolution Zone.  Zone Press.  Palm City, FL (2019)

U.S. Patents

  1. Sears, B.   “Phosphatidyl quarternary ammonium compounds.”  U.S. Patent No. 4,086,257 (1978)

  2. Sears, B. “Phosphatidyl sulfonium compounds.”  U.S. Patent No. 4,097,502 (1978)

  3. Sears, B.   “Phosphatidyl phosphonium compounds.”  U.S. Patent No. 4,097,503 (1978)

  4. Sears, B.   “Method for determining the level of LDL cholesterol in blood plasma.”  U.S. Patent No. 4,126,416 (1978)

  5. Sears, B.   “Method of preparing a controlled release pharmaceutical preparation.” U.S. Patent No. 4,145,410 (1979)

  6. Sears, B.   “Kit for determining the level of LDL cholesterol in body fluids.”  U.S. Patent No. 4,190,628 (1980)

  7. Sears, B. and Yesair, D.W. “Xenobiotic delivery vehicles.”U.S. Patent No. 4,298,594 (1981)

  8. Sears, B. “Method of emulsifying cholesterol, cholesterol esters, and triglyceride compounds.”  U.S. Patent No. 4,320,121 (1982)

  9. Sears, B. “Synthetic phospholipid compounds.” U.S. Patent No. 4,426,330 (1984)

  10. Sears, B.”Magnetic compositions and magnetic memory devices prepared.”  U.S. Patent No. 4,507,217 (1985)

  11. Sears, B.”Synthetic phospholipid compounds.”  U.S. Patent No. 4,534,899 (1985)

  12. Sears, B.”Method for reducing blood pressure levels in hypertensive persons.”  U.S. Patent No. 5,059,622 (1991)

  13. Sears, B.“Method of and nutritional and pharmaceutical compositions for reduction of hyperinsulinemia.”  U.S. Patent No. 6,140,304 (2000)

  14. Sears, B.“Novel inhibitors of arachidonic acid formation.”  U.S. Patent No. 8,987,325 (2015)