Thomas Wolever

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Other Academic and Clinical Appointments

Professor Emeritus, Department of Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

Member of Active Medical Staff, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, St. Michael's Hospital

At a Glance

• Dr. Wolever is currently Principal Scientist and Medical Director of INQUIS Clinical Research (www.inquis.com) and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto.
• His research interests are the effects of dietary carbohydrates on human physiology and metabolism.
• Dr. Woelver is, perhaps, most well-known for his work on the glycemic index which was as first developed by Drs. David Jenkins and Wolever, along with other collaborators.

About Dr. Thomas Wolever

Dr. Wolever obtained a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from Oxford University, UK in 1980, a PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Toronto in 1986 and a Doctorate in Medicine from Oxford University in 1993.  Dr. Wolever is currently Principal Scientist and Medical Director of INQUIS Clinical Research (www.inquis.com) and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto. While at the University, Dr. Wolever had the following cross appointments: Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto and Member of Active Medical Staff, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto. His research interests are the effects of dietary carbohydrates on human physiology and metabolism. Dr. Woelver is, perhaps, most well-known for his work on the glycemic index which was as first developed by Drs. David Jenkins and Wolever, along with other collaborators, while Dr. Wolever was a medical student. Dr. Wolever has written or co-authored over 360 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and also authored a book entitled: The Glycaemic Index: A Physiological Classification of Dietary Carbohydrate published in 2006 by CABI (www.cabi.org). In 1997, Dr. Wolever founded GI Testing, Inc. to provide confidential GI testing services to industry. To cope with the high demand for GI testing and to enable a wider range of clinical research services to be provided, Glycemic Index Laboratories, was formed in 2004; a corporation of which Dr. Woelver was President. GI Labs changed its name to INQUIS in 2018 and was sold in 2021. More important than anything else, Dr. Wolever is married with 3 children aged 33, 31 and 24 years. He enjoys orienteering, cycling and recorder playing.

Research Synopsis

Dr. Wolever's major research interest has been to understand the physiological effects of dietary carbohydrates (sugars, starch and dietary fiber) on glucose and lipid metabolism and energy balance in humans, and to translate the knowledge gained into practical/clinical use.

Dr. Wolever retired in 2019 and has no plans to start any new research projects at the University.

Awards and Distinctions (Selected)

Robert H. Herman Memorial Award, American Society for Nutrition (2020)

Honorary Doctorate in Health Sciences and Medicine, University of Ottawa (2018)

Senior Sustained Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto (2014)

Outstanding Achievement Award, Canadian Diabetes Association (2000)

Recent Publications

1. Doma KM, Dolinar KF, Dan Ramdath D, Wolever TMS, Duncan AM. Canned Beans Decrease Serum Total and LDL Cholesterol in Adults with Elevated LDL Cholesterol in a 4-wk Multicenter, Randomized, Crossover Study. J Nutr. 2021 Oct 12:nxab323. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxab323. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34642756.
2. Barclay AW, Augustin LSA, Brighenti F, Delport E, Henry CJ, Sievenpiper JL, Usic K, Yuexin Y, Zurbau A, Wolever TMS, Astrup A, Bulló M, Buyken A, Ceriello A, Ellis PR, Vanginkel MA, Kendall CWC, La Vecchia C, Livesey G, Poli A, Riccardi G, Salas-Salvadó J, Trichopoulou A, Bhaskaran K, Jenkins DJA, Willett WC, Brand-Miller JC. Dietary Glycaemic Index Labelling: A Global Perspective. Nutrients. 2021 Sep 17;13(9):3244. doi: 10.3390/nu13093244. PMID: 34579120; PMCID: PMC8466312.
3. Chiavaroli L, Lee D, Ahmed A, Cheung A, Khan TA, Blanco S, Mejia, Mirrahimi A, Jenkins DJA, Livesey G, Wolever TMS, Rahelić D, Kahleová H, Salas-Salvadó J, Kendall CWC, Sievenpiper JL. Effect of low glycaemic index or load dietary patterns on glycaemic control and cardiometabolic risk factors in diabetes: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ. 2021 Aug 4;374:n1651. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n1651. Erratum in: BMJ. 2021 Aug 26;374:n2114. PMID: 34348965; PMCID: PMC8336013.
4. Wolever TMS, El-Sohemy A, Ezatagha A, Zurbau A, Jenkins AL. Neither low salivary amylase activity, cooling cooked white rice, nor single nucleotide polymorphisms in starch-digesting enzymes reduce glycemic index or starch digestibility: a randomized, crossover trial in healthy adults. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021 Nov 8;114(5):1633-1645. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqab228. PMID: 34293081.
5. Ayoub-Charette S, Chiavaroli L, Liu Q, Khan TA, Zurbau A, Au-Yeung F, Cheung A, Ahmed A, Lee D, Choo VL, Blanco Mejia S, de Souza RJ, Wolever TM, Leiter LA, Kendall CW, Jenkins DJ, Sievenpiper JL. Different Food Sources of Fructose-Containing Sugars and Fasting Blood Uric Acid Levels: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Controlled Feeding Trials. J Nutr. 2021 Aug 7;151(8):2409-2421. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxab144. PMID: 34087940; PMCID: PMC8349131.
6. Wolever TMS, Rahn M, Dioum EH, Jenkins AL, Ezatagha A, Campbell JE, Chu Y. Effect of Oat β-Glucan on Affective and Physical Feeling States in Healthy Adults: Evidence for Reduced Headache, Fatigue, Anxiety and Limb/Joint Pains. Nutrients. 2021 May 1;13(5):1534. doi: 10.3390/nu13051534. PMID: 34062937; PMCID: PMC8147290.
7. Shah P, Wolever TM, Jenkins AL, Ezatagha A, Campbell J, Zurbau A, Jain M, Gote M, Bhaduri A, Mullick A. Acute glycemic and insulin response of Fossence™ alone, or when substituted or added to a carbohydrate challenge: A three-phase, acute, randomized, cross-over, double blind clinical trial. Heliyon. 2021 Apr 28;7(4):e06805. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06805. PMID: 33997376; PMCID: PMC8102419.
8. Zurbau A, Noronha JC, Khan TA, Sievenpiper JL, Wolever TMS. The effect of oat β-glucan on postprandial blood glucose and insulin responses: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2021 Nov;75(11):1540-1554. doi: 10.1038/s41430-021-00875-9. Epub 2021 Feb 19. PMID: 33608654.
9. Lewis EJH, Lovblom LE, Cisbani G, Chen DK, Bazinet RP, Wolever TMS, Perkins BA, Bril V. Baseline omega-3 level is associated with nerve regeneration following 12-months of omega-3 nutrition therapy in patients with type 1 diabetes. J Diabetes Complications. 2021 Mar;35(3):107798. doi: 10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2020.107798. Epub 2020 Nov 26. PMID: 33309385.
10. Augustin LSA, Aas AM, Astrup A, Atkinson FS, Baer-Sinnott S, Barclay AW, Brand-Miller JC, Brighenti F, Bullo M, Buyken AE, Ceriello A, Ellis PR, Ha MA, Henry JC, Kendall CWC, La Vecchia C, Liu S, Livesey G, Poli A, Salas-Salvadó J, Riccardi G, Riserus U, Rizkalla SW, Sievenpiper JL, Trichopoulou A, Usic K, Wolever TMS, Willett WC, Jenkins DJA. Dietary Fibre Consensus from the International Carbohydrate Quality Consortium (ICQC). Nutrients. 2020 Aug 24;12(9):2553. doi: 10.3390/nu12092553. PMID: 32846882; PMCID: PMC7551906.

In the News

An Ode to Dr. Wolever. NutriNews (Department of Nutritional Sciences graduate student-led publication). Spring 2019.