Location

NOVA Medical School Campo dos Mártires da Pátria, nº 130 1169-056 Lisboa

Ana Faria

Professor Professor Associado com Agregação
Principal Investigator

Ana Faria is an Associate Professor with Habilitation at NOVA Medical School, where she has been engaged in teaching and research since 2016. She teaches in the Integrated Master’s Program in Medicine in the area of Biochemistry and in the Bachelor’s Program in Nutrition Sciences, where she is responsible for the courses Food Chemistry, Nutrition and Metabolism II, and Bromatology. She is also a member of the faculty for the Master’s Program in Human Nutrition and Metabolism.

Her research focuses on the relationship between bioactive compounds in the diet and human health, with an emphasis on polyphenols and their bidirectional interaction with the microbiota. Her work has contributed to a better understanding of the role of these compounds in metabolic and inflammatory processes, particularly in obesity and neuroinflammation, reinforcing the link between nutrition, microbiota, and health.

Ana Faria has participated in over 25 funded research projects and regularly serves as a reviewer for leading international scientific journals in the fields of nutrition and food chemistry. She is a researcher at the Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC) and the author of over 100 scientific articles, 18 book chapters, and more than 160 conference presentations.

With a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry (2003), a Master’s degree in Chemistry (2005), and a Ph.D. in Chemistry (2010) from the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Porto, Ana Faria obtained the title of Associate Professor in 2022 from NOVA University Lisbon.

  • Assessing mental health, cognitive function and quality of life of breast cancer patients: exploring associations with gut microbiota in an observational and preliminary study.
    Calafate C, Alpuim Costa D, Campos T, Ribeiro PC, Martinho F, Freitas C, Botelho de Sousa C, Negreiros I, Canastra A, Borralho P, Pereira AG, Marçal C, Ribeiro R, Sousa JG, Dinis C, Chaleira R, Calha R, Rocha JC, Calhau C, Moreira-Rosário A, Faria A.Front Psychol. 2026 Mar 11;17:1437697. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1437697. eCollection 2026.
  • Anthocyanin-rich edible flowers - Impact of food matrix on anthocyanin stability, digestion and absorption: the case of wild pansy, cosmos and cornflower.Teixeira M, Tao W, Ferreira IMPLVO, Faria A, de Freitas V, Mateus N, Oliveira H.Food Chem. 2026 Apr 15;508(Pt B):148137. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2026.148137. Epub 2026 Jan 24.
  • The metabolic and endocrine impact of diet-derived gut microbiota metabolites on ageing and longevity. Araújo JR, Marques C, Rodrigues C, Calhau C, Faria A.Ageing Res Rev. 2024 Sep;100:102451. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2024.102451. Epub 2024 Aug 9.
  • Trimethylamine increases intestinal fatty acid absorption: in vitro studies in a Caco-2 cell culture system. Rodrigues C, Ismael S, Castela I, Barreiros-Mota I, Almeida MJ, Santos GM, Calhau C, Rocha JC, Faria A, Araújo JR.J Nutr Sci. 2023 Nov 3;12:e108. doi: 10.1017/jns.2023.91. eCollection 2023.
  • IPA and its precursors differently modulate the proliferation, differentiation, and integrity of intestinal epithelial cells. Ismael S, Rodrigues C, Santos GM, Castela I, Barreiros-Mota I, Almeida MJ, Calhau C, Faria A, Araújo JR.Nutr Res Pract. 2023 Aug;17(4):616-630. doi: 10.4162/nrp.2023.17.4.616. Epub 2023 Mar 31.
  • Decreased adiponectin/leptin ratio relates to insulin resistance in adults with obesity. Castela I, Morais J, Barreiros-Mota I, Silvestre MP, Marques C, Rodrigues C, Ismael S, Araújo JR, Ângelo-Dias M, Martins C, Borrego LM, Monteiro R, Coutinho SR, Calhau C, Martins C, Faria A, Pestana D, Teixeira D.Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2023 Feb 1;324(2):E115-E119. doi: 10.1152/ajpendo.00273.2022. Epub 2022 Nov 9.
  • Impact of Beer and Nonalcoholic Beer Consumption on the Gut Microbiota: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial. Marques C, Dinis L, Barreiros Mota I, Morais J, Ismael S, Pereira-Leal JB, Cardoso J, Ribeiro P, Beato H, Resende M, Espírito Santo C, Cortez AP, Rosário A, Pestana D, Teixeira D, Faria A, Calhau C.J Agric Food Chem. 2022 Oct 19;70(41):13062-13070. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.2c00587. Epub 2022 Jun 15.
  • Brominated flame retardants effect in MCF-7 cells: Impact on vitamin D pathway. Sousa S, Maia ML, Pestana D, Teixeira D, Ângelo-Dias M, Martins C, Borrego LM, Delerue-Matos C, Calhau C, Fernandes Domingues V, Faria A.J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2022 May;219:106079. doi: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2022.106079. Epub 2022 Feb 7.
  • Pharmacokinetics of blackberry anthocyanins consumed with or without ethanol: A randomized and crossover trial. Marques C, Fernandes I, Norberto S, Sá C, Teixeira D, de Freitas V, Mateus N, Calhau C, Faria A.Mol Nutr Food Res. 2016 Nov;60(11):2319-2330. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201600143. Epub 2016 Aug 11.
  • Anthocyanin effects on microglia M1/M2 phenotype: Consequence on neuronal fractalkine expression. Meireles M, Marques C, Norberto S, Santos P, Fernandes I, Mateus N, Faria A, Calhau C.Behav Brain Res. 2016 May 15;305:223-8. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.03.010. Epub 2016 Mar 7.
  • 2021 - Best Poster - International Conference on Food Contaminants
  • 2020 - Biocodex National Fellowship - Biocodex Microbiota Foundation
  • 2019 - Emílio Peres Fellowship - Portuguese Society of Diabetology
  • 2018 - Emílio Peres Fellowship - Portuguese Society of Diabetology
  • 2017 - Milupa Fellowship - Portuguese Society of Neonatology