John Sievenpiper

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Other Academic and Clinical Appointments

Professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences and Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto (2023 - present)

Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto (2020 - 2023)

Associate Professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto (2015 - 2023)

Nutritional Medical Education Coordinator, Department of Nutritional Sciences, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto (2015 - present)

Member, Banting and Best Diabetes Centre, University of Toronto (2015 - present)

Researcher, the Joannah & Brian Lawson Centre for Child Nutrition, University of Toronto (2015 - present)

Scientist, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital (2014 - present)

Knowledge Synthesis Lead, Toronto 3D (Diet, Digestive tract and Disease) Knowledge Synthesis and Clinical Trials Unit, Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Centre, St. Michael’s Hospital (2009 - present)

Staff Physician, Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Department of Medicine, St. Michael’s Hospital (2014 - present)

At a Glance

• Dr. Sievenpiper’s research team aims to identify and investigate diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk factors and outcomes in relation to dietary sugars, legumes/pulses, tree nuts, and comprehensive dietary patterns.
• Through a combination of randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, meta-analyses and knowledge translation activities, Dr. Sievenpiper’s group aims to provide evidence to inform clinical practice guidelines, public health policy, and the design of future randomized controlled trials.

About Dr. John Sievenpiper

Dr. Sievenpiper is a Clinician Scientist who holds appointments as an Associate Professor of Nutritional Sciences and Medicine and the Lifestyle Medicine Lead in the MD Program, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto and as a Staff Physician in the Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism and Scientist in the La Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital. Dr. Sievenpiper completed his MSc, PhD and Postdoctoral Fellowship training in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. He completed his MD at St. Matthew’s University followed by Residency training in Medical Biochemistry at McMaster University leading to his certification as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada (FRCPC). He has established an internationally recognized research program focused on using systematic reviews and meta-analyses (the “gold standard” of evidence synthesis) and randomized controlled trials (the “gold standard” of research design) to address questions of public health and clinic practice importance in relation to diet and cardiometabolic disease prevention with a particular interest in the role of sugars, carbohydrate quality, and plant-based dietary patterns. He is directly involved in knowledge translation with appointments to the nutrition guidelines’ committees of Diabetes Canada, European Association for the study of Diabetes (EASD), Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS), and Obesity Canada. He is the recipient of several major awards including an Insulin 100 Emerging Leader Award from the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, The Khursheed Jeejeebhoy Award for Best Application of Clinical Nutrition Research Findings to Clinical Practice from the Canadian Nutrition Society (CNS),  PSI Foundation Graham Farquharson Knowledge Translation Fellowship, Diabetes Canada Clinician Scientist Award, Banting & Best Diabetes Centre Sun Life Financial New Investigator Award, CIHR-INMD/CNS– New Investigator Partnership Prize, and CNS Young Investgator Award for Outstanding Research. He has received >250 invitations to speak nationally and internationally and serves on the Editorial Board of various journals including the highest ranked peer-reviewed original research journal in nutrition, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Dr. Sievenpiper has authored 225 scientific papers and 17 book chapters. His work has had a major impact in shaping international clinical practice guidelines, public health policy, and research priorities. He has been cited more than 13,500 times with an h-index of 65 (Google Scholar).

Research Synopsis

Generations of nutrition research have often focused on identifying a single nutrient that leads to health benefits or disease. Clinical practice guidelines and public health policies are now moving away from these traditional nutrient-centric approaches to more food and dietary pattern-based approaches, a process Dr. John Sievenpiper helped initiate and steer in the Diabetes Canada 2013 Clinical Practice Guidelines for Nutrition Therapy.

Through randomized controlled trials, knowledge syntheses (systematic reviews and meta-analyses), and knowledge translation activities, Dr. Sievenpiper’s research program attempts to drive this modernization of food and dietary pattern-based approaches by investigating the role of dietary sugars (fructose, sucrose, and high-fructose corn syrup), legumes/dietary pulses (beans, peas, chickpeas, and lentils), tree nuts, and dietary patterns (including the Portfolio diet and low glycemic index dietary patterns) in cardiometabolic health.

The ultimate goal of Dr. Sievenpiper’s research program is to identify and investigate important diet and disease questions in relation to diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, with the view to inform clinical practice guidelines, public health policy, and the design of future randomized controlled trials in order to improve the health of those living with or are at risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

To date, Dr. Sievenpiper has led or been involved in the conduct of several randomized controlled trials, including the Fructose and Allulose Catalytic Effects (FACE) Trial [ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02459834], Dried Fruit and Postprandial Glycemia Trial [ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02960373], Strategies To OPpose Sugars With Non-nutritive Sweeteners Or Water (STOP Sugars NOW) Trial [ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03543644], and the Combined Portfolio Diet and Exercise Study (PortfolioEx) [ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02481466], as well as >35 systematic reviews and meta-analyses in this area. His research has helped inform the prevention and treatment of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, and has been cited extensively in guidelines. He has also provided expertise for several national and international medical and public health organizations, including Diabetes Canada, the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, the Canadian Cardiovascular Society and the American Society of Nutrition.

Recent Awards and Distinctions (Selected)

Insulin 100 Emerging Leader Award, Dean’s Alumni Award, University of Toronto (2021)

The Khursheed Jeejeebhoy Award for Best Application of Clinical Nutrition Findings to Clinical Practice, the Canadian Nutrition Society (2021)

Young Investigator Award for Outstanding Research, Canadian Nutrition Society (2019)

Graduate Teaching Award for Early Career Excellence in Graduate Teaching and Mentorship, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto (2018)

Banting & Best Diabetes Centre Sun Life Financial New Investigator Award for Diabetes Research, University of Toronto (2016)

National and International Committee Memberships (Current)

Section Lead (Health Behaviours Interventions) and Expert Committee Member, Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) 2020 Dyslipidemia Guidelines Update (2017-present)

Expert Committee Member, Obesity Canada 2020 Clinical Practice Guidelines for Medical Nutrition Therapy (2017-present)

Chapter Lead and Expert Committee Member, Diabetes Canada 2018 Clinical Practice Guidelines for Medical Nutrition Therapy (2015-present)

Director, Toronto 3D Knowledge Synthesis & Clinical Trials Foundation (2014-present)

Committee Member, International Year of the Pulse, Health, Nutrition & Food Innovation Committee (2014-present)

Executive Board Member, Diabetes Nutrition Study Group of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (2013-present)

Expert Committee Member, International Carbohydrate Quality Consortium (2013-present)

Recent Publications

1. Noronha JC, Kendall CW, Sievenpiper JL. Meal Replacements for Weight-Related Complications in Type 2 Diabetes: What Is the State of the Evidence? Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2022 Jul 28;13:875535. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2022.875535. PMID: 35966078; PMCID: PMC9366088.
2. Jovanovski E, Nguyen M, Kurahashi Y, Komishon A, Li D, Hoang Vi Thanh H, Khayyat R, Jenkins AL, Khan TA, Zurbau A, Sievenpiper J, Vuksan V. Are all fibres created equal with respect to lipid lowering? Comparing the effect of viscous dietary fibre to non-viscous fibre from cereal sources: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Br J Nutr. 2022 Aug 5:1-13. doi: 10.1017/S0007114522002355. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35929339.
3. Lee JJ, Khan TA, McGlynn N, Malik VS, Hill JO, Leiter LA, Jeppesen PB, Rahelić D, Kahleová H, Salas-Salvadó J, Kendall CWC, Sievenpiper JL. Relation of Change or Substitution of Low- and No-Calorie Sweetened Beverages With Cardiometabolic Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies. Diabetes Care. 2022 Aug 1;45(8):1917-1930. doi: 10.2337/dc21-2130. PMID: 35901272; PMCID: PMC9346984.
4. Lee D, Chiavaroli L, Ayoub-Charette S, Khan TA, Zurbau A, Au-Yeung F, Cheung A, Liu Q, Qi X, Ahmed A, Choo VL, Blanco Mejia S, Malik VS, El-Sohemy A, de Souza RJ, Wolever TMS, Leiter LA, Kendall CWC, Jenkins DJA, Sievenpiper JL. Important Food Sources of Fructose-Containing Sugars and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Controlled Trials. Nutrients. 2022 Jul 12;14(14):2846. doi: 10.3390/nu14142846. PMID: 35889803; PMCID: PMC9325155.
5. Talukdar JR, Cooper MA, Lyutvyn L, Zeraatkar D, Ali R, Bierbrier R, Janes S, Ha V, Darling PB, Sievenpiper JL, Jenkins DJA, Banfield L, Mbuagbaw L, de Souza RJ. Effects of inulin-type fructans supplementation on cardiovascular disease risk factors: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ Open. 2022 Jul 6;12(7):e058875. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-058875. PMID: 35793918; PMCID: PMC9260802.
6. Wang YF, Marsden S, Chiavaroli L, DiAngelo C, Sievenpiper JL. Trends in Loss-Adjusted Availability of Added Sugars and Energy Contribution from Macronutrients and Major Food Groups in Canada and the United States. J Am Nutr Assoc. 2022 Jun 23:1-10. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2022.2073923. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35736960.
7. Jenkins DJA, Sahye-Pudaruth S, Khodabandehlou K, Liang F, Kasmani M, Wanyan J, Wang M, Selvaganesh K, Paquette M, Patel D, Glenn AJ, Srichaikul K, Kendall CWC, Sievenpiper JL. Systematic review and meta-analysis examining the relationship between postprandial hypotension, cardiovascular events, and all-cause mortality. Am J Clin Nutr. 2022 Jun 8:nqac158. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqac158. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35675216.
8. Kavanagh ME, Chiavaroli L, Glenn AJ, Heijmans G, Grant SM, Chow CM, Josse RG, Malik VS, Watson W, Lofters A, Holmes C, Rackal J, Srichaikul K, Sherifali D, Snelgrove-Clarke E, Udell JA, Juni P, Booth GL, Farkouh ME, Leiter LA, Kendall CWC, Jenkins DJA, Sievenpiper JL. A Web-Based Health Application to Translate Nutrition Therapy for Cardiovascular Risk Reduction in Primary Care (PortfolioDiet.app): Quality Improvement and Usability Testing Study. JMIR Hum Factors. 2022 Apr 21;9(2):e34704. doi: 10.2196/34704. PMID: 35451981; PMCID: PMC9073604.
9. Messina M, Sievenpiper JL, Williamson P, Kiel J, Erdman JW. Perspective: Soy-Based Meat and Dairy Alternatives, Despite Classification as Ultra-Processed Foods, Deliver High-Quality Nutrition on Par With Unprocessed or Minimally Processed Animal-Based Counterparts. Adv Nutr. 2022 Mar 23:nmac026. doi: 10.1093/advances/nmac026. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35325028.
10. McGlynn ND, Khan TA, Wang L, Zhang R, Chiavaroli L, Au-Yeung F, Lee JJ, Noronha JC, Comelli EM, Blanco Mejia S, Ahmed A, Malik VS, Hill JO, Leiter LA, Agarwal A, Jeppesen PB, Rahelic D, Kahleová H, Salas-Salvadó J, Kendall CWC, Sievenpiper JL. Association of Low- and No-Calorie Sweetened Beverages as a Replacement for Sugar-Sweetened Beverages With Body Weight and Cardiometabolic Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Mar 1;5(3):e222092. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.2092. PMID: 35285920.

In the News

Alternative sweeteners in your drinks can help with weight and diabetes risk, study says. CNN. March 14, 2022.

Food as medicine: Programs, doctors look to fill nutrition prescription. The Global and Mail. February 26, 2022.

University of Toronto study showed those on low-glycemic diet lost weight without trying. Toronto Star. January 3, 2022.

Your artificial sweetener may actually make you hungrier. Nourish by WebMD. October 6, 2021.

Nuts are not linked to weight gain: U of T study. U of T news. September 22, 2021.

Low glycemic diet reduces cardiometabolic risks for people with diabetes: U of T study. U of T News. August 12, 2021.

Is a calorie always a calorie? Not when it comes to almonds, U of T researchers find. U of T News. April 13, 2021.

Current Lab Members

Laura Chiavaroli – Postdoctoral Fellow

Andrea Glenn – Postdoctoral Fellow

Nanci Guest – Postdoctoral Fellow

Tauseef Khan – Postdoctoral Fellow

Andreea Zurbau – Postdoctoral Fellow

Fei (Rodney) Au-Yeung – PhD student

Sabrina Ayoub-Charette – PhD student

Meaghan Kavanagh – PhD student

Amna Ahmed – MSc student

Victoria Chen - MSc student

Madeline Erlich – MSc student

Danielle Lee – Research Assistant

Sonia Blanco Mejia – Research Assistant

Teaching Appointments

Course Instructor, NFS301- Nutrition Literacy: Sorting Science from Snake Oil (undergraduate), Department of Nutritional Sciences, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

Course Instructor, NFS1220 - Clinical Nutrition (graduate), Department of Nutritional Sciences, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

Transition to Clerkship Nutrition Lead, MD Program, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

Lifestyle Medicine Lead and Course Instructor, MD Program, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

Health Promotion Lead and Nutrition Theme Lead, MD Program, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto