Harvey Anderson

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Other Academic Appointments

Professor, Department of Physiology, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto (1980 – present)

At a Glance

• Dr. Anderson’s research program focuses on the underlying mechanisms affecting the relationship between food and metabolic disease

About Dr. G. Harvey Anderson

Dr. G. Harvey Anderson is Professor of Nutritional Sciences and Physiology, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. His holds a BSc and MSc from the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Alberta and PhD, Nutritional Biochemistry from the University of Illinois and completed postdoctoral studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is Director of the NSERC University-Industry Program in Food Safety, Nutrition and Regulatory Affairs (PFSNRA). He has served the University as Associate Dean, School of Graduate Studies, Dean and Associate Dean, Research, Faculty of Medicine, Chair, Department of Nutritional Sciences, elected member of the Governing Council and Executive Director of the Lawson Centre for Child Nutrition. Dr. Anderson’s advocacy for university, industry and government partnerships in developing food and nutrition solutions is shown by his leadership in the formation of the University of Toronto’s PFSNRA and as Chair of the Board of the International Life Sciences Institute, Washington, D.C.

Dr. Anderson has held visiting professor appointments at many universities, including in several  in China where he led the development of an academic program in clinical and public health nutrition at Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou.

Research Synopsis

Dr. Harvey Anderson's research has led to over 390 publications and the training of more than 115 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. He was the first to report protein selective appetites in rats and humans, the unique composition of milk from mothers of premature babies, formulate and test the first defined amino acid solution for use in total parental nutrition and chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, the benefits of infant cereal for babies in China, and the effect of gestational diets high in vitamins and soy protein on programming obesity in rodents. Dr. Anderson's recent preclinical research has focused on the role of folate and choline in maternal diets consumed during pregnancy, and their effects in programming the future of offspring as well as mothers. His current clinical research is focused on the production and utilization of agricultural commodities to produce foods to reduce obesity and diabetes. His research has received continuous peer-reviewed grant support since 1970. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Nutrition Society and the American Society of Nutrition.

Recent Awards and Distinctions (Selected)

Inaugural Fellow, Canadian Nutrition Society (2020)

The Khursheed Jeejeebhoy Award for Best Application of Clinical Nutrition Findings to Clinical Practice, Canadian Nutrition Society (2016)

President's Society, University of Alberta (2016)

Recent Publications

1. Simonian R, Pannia E, Hammoud R, Noche RR, Cui X, Kranenburg E, Kubant R, Ashcraft P, Wasek B, Bottiglieri T, Dowling JJ, Anderson GH. Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase deficiency and high dose FA supplementation disrupt embryonic development of energy balance and metabolic homeostasis in zebrafish. Hum Mol Genet. 2023 Jan 13:ddac308. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddac308. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36637428.
2. Pannia E, Hammoud R, Simonian R, Kubant R, Anderson GH. Folate dose and form during pregnancy may program maternal and fetal health and disease risk. Nutr Rev. 2022 Apr 20:nuac025. doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuac025. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35442434.
3. Gangola MP, Ramadoss BR, Jaiswal S, Fabek H, Tulbek M, Anderson GH, Chibbar RN. Nutritional Composition and In Vitro Starch Digestibility of Crackers Supplemented with Faba Bean Whole Flour, Starch Concentrate, Protein Concentrate and Protein Isolate. Foods. 2022 Feb 23;11(5):645. doi: 10.3390/foods11050645. PMID: 35267277; PMCID: PMC8909546.
4. Vien S, Fard S, El Khoury D, Luhovyy B, Fabek H, Anderson GH. Age and Sex Interact to Determine the Effects of Commonly Consumed Dairy Products on Postmeal Glycemia, Satiety, and Later Meal Food Intake in Adults. J Nutr. 2021 Aug 7;151(8):2161-2174. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxab122. PMID: 34036357.
5. Pannia E, Hammoud R, Kubant R, Sa JY, Simonian R, Wasek B, Ashcraft P, Bottiglieri T, Pausova Z, Anderson GH. High Intakes of [6S]-5-Methyltetrahydrofolic Acid Compared with Folic Acid during Pregnancy Programs Central and Peripheral Mechanisms Favouring Increased Food Intake and Body Weight of Mature Female Offspring. Nutrients. 2021 Apr 27;13(5):1477. doi: 10.3390/nu13051477. PMID: 33925570; PMCID: PMC8146511.
6. Hammoud R, Pannia E, Kubant R, Metherel A, Simonian R, Pausova Z, Anderson GH. High Choline Intake during Pregnancy Reduces Characteristics of the Metabolic Syndrome in Male Wistar Rat Offspring Fed a High Fat But Not a Normal Fat Post-Weaning Diet. Nutrients. 2021 Apr 24;13(5):1438. doi: 10.3390/nu13051438. PMID: 33923230; PMCID: PMC8145686.
7. Gheller BJF, Li AC, Gheller ME, Armstrong T, Vandenboer E, Bellissimo N, Anini Y, Hamilton J, Nunes F, Mollard RC, Anderson GH, Luhovyy BL. The effect of dairy products and non-dairy snacks on food intake, subjective appetite and cortisol levels in children: a randomized control study. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2021 Sep;46(9):1097-1104. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2020-0909. Epub 2021 Mar 16. PMID: 33725464.
8. Gangola MP, Ramadoss BR, Jaiswal S, Chan C, Mollard R, Fabek H, Tulbek M, Jones P, Sanchez-Hernandez D, Anderson GH, Chibbar RN. Faba bean meal, starch or protein fortification of durum wheat pasta differentially influence noodle composition, starch structure and in vitro digestibility. Food Chem. 2021 Jul 1;349:129167. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.129167. Epub 2021 Jan 27. PMID: 33567351.
9. Fabek H, Sanchez-Hernandez D, Ahmed M, Marinangeli CPF, House JD, Anderson GH. An examination of contributions of animal- and plant-based dietary patterns on the nutrient quality of diets of adult Canadians. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2021 Aug;46(8):877-886. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2020-1039. Epub 2021 Feb 10. PMID: 33566737.
10. Hammoud R, Pannia E, Kubant R, Wasek B, Bottiglieri T, Malysheva OV, Caudill MA, Anderson GH. Choline and Folic Acid in Diets Consumed during Pregnancy Interact to Program Food Intake and Metabolic Regulation of Male Wistar Rat Offspring. J Nutr. 2021 Apr 8;151(4):857-865. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxaa419. PMID: 33561219; PMCID: PMC8030718.

In the News

The science behind why everyone is suddenly baking bread. The Globe and Mail. April 8, 2020.

Current Lab Members

Zeyu Yang – PhD student

Nicole Da Silva – MSc student

Eva Kranenburg - MSc student

Rebecca Simonian – MSc student

Marisa Soo – MSc student

Zi Chen (Corrina) Zhou – MSc student

Dr. Hrvoje Fabek - Research Associate

Dr. Ruslan Kubant - Senior Research Associate

Shirley Vien - Clinical Studies Research Coordinator 

Teaching Appointments

Course Instructor, NFS1212H – Regulation of Food Composition, Health Claims and Safety (graduate), Department of Nutritional Sciences, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto