Jelena Šarac, PhD

Anthropologist and Research Associate, Institute for Anthropological Research, Zagreb, Croatia

  1. Croatia

Biography

Jelena Šarac, PhD, is an anthropologist and a research associate at the Institute for Anthropological Research, Zagreb, Croatia. Her research interest involves anthropological investigation of maternal and child health, with special emphasis on the development of complex diseases, as well as evolutionary biology and population genetics. Her early work was focused on the anthropological analysis of genetic diversity and population structure in the eastern Adriatic and the wider area of Croatia and Europe based on molecular genetic markers (mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosomes) and the study of microevolutionary, historical and cultural processes that shaped the genetic landscape of these populations. In the last years her focus shifted towards the identification of risk factors for the development of complex non- communicable diseases (especially metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus and obesity) in early childhood, adolescence and adulthood and means of their prevention, through studies performed on Croatian islands. The investigation of maternal and child health in Dalmatia, Croatia and the identification of early risk factors affecting future well-being of the child have been in the center of her latest work, based on her active involvement in the “Croatian Islands’ Birth Cohort Study (CRIBS)” funded by the Croatian Science Foundation. She is also the leader of the Croatian team in the Horizon Europe project on improving child health with regards to indoor air pollution ("Evidence-driven indoor air quality improvement - EDIAQI"). She is an author or co-author of more than 40 scientific publications with a h-index 11. From 2010 onwards she taught several Anthropology undergraduate and graduate courses at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Science.

Recent Publications

  1. Primorac, Dragan; Škaro, Vedrana; Projić, Petar; Missoni, Saša; Horjan Zanki, Ivana; Merkaš, Siniša; Šarac, Jelena; Novokmet, Natalija; Ledić, Andrea; Makar, Adela et al. Croatian Genetic Heritage: Renewed Y Chromosome Story Two Decades Later // Croatian medical journal, 63 (2022), 273-286 doi:10.1101/2022.03.21.485134

  2. Šarac, Jelena; Havaš Auguštin, Dubravka; Zajc Petranović, Matea; Novokmet, Natalija; Bočkor, Luka; Stanišić, Lada; Petherick, Emily; Karelović, Deni; Šelović, Alen; Mrdjen Hodžić, Rafaela et al. Testing the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations on maternal reproductive health and associated neonatal characteristics in a transitional, Mediterranean population // Annals of human biology, 20 (2022), 1-9 doi:10.1080/03014460.2022.2080863

  3. Šarac, Jelena; Havaš Auguštin, Dubravka; Perinić Lewis, Ana; Jarec, Morana; Mrdjen Hodžić, Rafaela; Novokmet, Natalija; Sujoldžić, Anita; Rudan, Pavao. Genetic landscape of the Hvar Island - highlight of a 50- year long bioanthropological research // Anthropologischer anzeiger, 2022 (2022), 1-10 doi:10.1127/anthranz/2022/1546

  4. Šarac, Jelena; Havaš Auguštin, Dubravka; Lovrić, Mario; Stryeck, Sarah; Šunić, Iva; Novokmet, Natalija; Missoni, Saša. A Generation Shift in Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Its Association with Biological Markers and Health in Dalmatia, Croatia // Nutrients, 13 (2021), 12; 4564, 11 doi:10.3390/nu13124564

  5. Ubalde-Lopez, M; Garani-Papadatos, T; Scelo, G; Casas, M; Lissåker, C; Peters, S; Nohr, EA; Albin, M; Lucas, R; Papantoniou, K et al. Working life, health and well-being of parents: a joint effort to uncover hidden treasures in European birth cohorts // Scandinavian journal of work environment & health, 47 (2021), 7; 550-560 doi:10.5271/sjweh.3980

  6. Havaš Auguštin, Dubravka; Šarac, Jelena; Lovrić, Mario; Živković, Jelena; Malev, Olga; Fuchs, Nives; Novokmet, Natalija; Turkalj, Mirjana; Missoni, Saša. Adherence to Mediterranean Diet and Maternal Lifestyle during Pregnancy: Island–Mainland Differentiation in the CRIBS Birth Cohort // Nutrients, 12 (2020), 6; 2179, 34 doi:10.3390/nu12082179

  7. Chen, Aimin; Jandarov, Roman; Zhou, Li; Calafat, Antonia M; Zhang, Ge; Urbina, Elaine M; Šarac, Jelena; Havaš Auguštin, Dubravka; Carić, Tonko; Bočkor, Luka et al. Association of perfluoroalkyl substances exposure with cardiometabolic traits in an island population of the eastern Adriatic coast of Croatia // Science of the Total Environment, 683 (2019), 29-36. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.05.250

  8. Haydar, Sara; Paillot, Thomas; Fagot, Christophe; Cogne, Yannick; Fountas, Athanasios; Tutuncu, Yildiz; Vintila, Madalina; Tsatsoulis, Agathocles; Thanh Chi, Pham; Garandeau, Patrick et al. Branched-Chain Amino Acid Database Integrated in MEDIPAD Software as a Tool for Nutritional Investigation of Mediterranean Populations // Nutrients, 10 (2018), 10; 1392, 17 doi:10.3390/nu10101392

  9. Sahakyan, Hovhannes; Kashani, Baharak Hooshiar; Tamang, Rakesh; Kushniarevich, Alena; Francis, Amirtharaj; Costa, Marta D.; Pathak, Ajai Kumar; Khachatryan, Zaruhi; Sharma, Indu; van Oven, Mannis et al. Origin and spread of human mitochondrial DNA haplogroup U7 // Scientific Reports, 7 (2017), 46044, 9 doi:10.1038/srep46044

  10. Šarac, Jelena, Šarić, Tena; Havaš Auguštin, Dubravka; Novokmet, Natalija; Vekarić, Nenad; Mustač, Mate; Grahovac, Blaženka; Kapović, Miljenko; Nevajda, Branimir; Glasnović, Anton; Missoni, Saša; Rootsi, Siiri, Rudan, Pavao. Genetic Heritage of Croatians in the Southeastern European Gene Pool—Y Chromosome Analysis of the Croatian Continental and Island Population // American journal of human biology, 28 (2016), 6; 837-845 doi:10.1002/ajhb.22876

Research Expertise

  • Maternal and child health

  • Birth cohorts

  • Metabolic syndrome

  • Island populations

  • Health risk factors