Peter J. Jones, the recently named Canada Research Chair in Functional Foods and Nutrition, joined the University of Manitoba on November 1, 2005 as Director of the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals. Dr. Jones’ main appointment will be in the department of Food Science with a cross appointment in Human Nutritional Sciences. Before 2005 he was professor at McGill University serving as Director of the School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition from 1994-1999.

Currently, Dr. Jones serves as President of the Danone Institute for Nutrition in Canada and immediate Past-President of the Canadian Society for Nutritional Sciences. He serves as Chairman of the Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals Board of the Vancouver-based Forbes Medi-tech group. Dr. Jones has also sat on the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, World Health Organization, and United Nations University (FAO/WHO/UNU) Expert consultant Panel for Energy and Protein Requirements in Human Nutrition.

Dr. Jones' research interests cover cholesterol, fat and energy metabolism. He has applied novel stable isotope methodologies to examine the response of these areas of metabolism to dietary intervention. His research group has been active in exploring the dietary determinants which control cholesterol biosynthesis in humans, as well as how plant sterols act in functional foods as cholesterol-lowering agents. Other areas of research have included re-establishing energy needs in sub-groups of the Canadian population and exploring what fats confer optimal health during weight reducing diets. Dr. Jones has published over 220 peer-reviewed research articles and reviews in international journals, as well as chapters in leading nutrition textbooks. Dr. Jones received the Young Investigator Award for Excellence in Nutrition Research in 1997.

There is growing acceptance in the medical world that obesity is a disease requiring a concerted effort at prevention and treatment, given the seriousness and prevalence of its complications and the correlation between BMI and life expectancy. Obesity is growing at a disturbing rate: 15% of Canadians were obese in 1992, compared to 23% in 2004. These figures are even more alarming in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world. Future projections are even more bleak (40% in the U.S. and 30% in Europe), since children are also affected. This obesity “epidemic” is definitely due to environmental and behavioural changes which, given conducive genetic conditions, result in an energy imbalance. Most attempts at controlling chronic obesity generally end in failure, because interventions follow the conventional prototype that links disease with a single cause, rather than confronting a whole panoply of obesogenic social, economic and cultural factors. Successful intervention will require the mobilization of society as a whole, including government authorities, that will have to change agricultural and marketing policies to endorse a healthy diet and eating habits. Hopefully, the promotion of good practices will help to realign the activity of organs which have become dysfunctional, including: excessive lipid absorption by the intestine, defective adipose tissue transformed into proinflammatory cytokines, and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis affecting the liver.

Dr. Emile Levy is a Full Professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of Montréal. He was Director of the Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Centre from May 1996 to January 2006. Dr. Levy is currently Research Director of the Sainte-Justine Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Unit where he heads the Lipidology, Metabolism and Nutrition research laboratory.

He is recognized around the world for his work in the field of digestion, lipid absorption and metabolism, and related disorders such as intestinal malabsorption, malnutrition, and inflammatory bowel disease. Dr. Levy is also known for his many contributions to the study of primary and secondary hyperlipidemia, atherosclerosis, obesity, and diabetes. He is also conducting research on infant development using nutrigenomic and proteomic platforms.

Dr. Levy is a world-renowned leader in these fields of research, which he is expanding through continued financial support from numerous funding agencies. His research findings have been published in many prominent scientific journals. He lists more than 265 published articles and book chapters, 420 abstracts and 126 national and international conferences. Dr. Levy is also a reviewer for several scientific journals, a member of various organizations and associations, as well as one of the principal organizers of various conferences, symposia and congresses. He was Co-Organizing Chair of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd International Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Congresses, the latter taking place in Montreal in June 2007. He is currently Co-Chair of the Société Québecoise de Lipidologie, Nutrition et Métabolisme Congress as well as Co-Chair of EPODE Québec (Together Let’s Prevent Childhood Obesity).

Dr. Levy has been the recipient of many awards and honours for his numerous contributions, including the Borden Award for Nutrition, the Award for Excellence in Pediatric Research, the European Gastroenterology Association Award, the International Scientific Meeting Diet and Atherosclerosis Award, the National Investigator Award from the Fonds de Recherche en Santé du Québec (FRSQ), and the Prix des Fondateurs from the Société Québécoise de Lipidologie, Métabolisme et Nutrition. In 2008, Dr. Levy was awarded the Lifetime Career Award from the Foundation of Stars. He has held the J.A. de Sève Research Chair in Nutrition since 2006.

The media plays a definite role in the obesity epidemic, particularly by promoting high-fat, sugary foods. Children’s body image is also impacted by the media. How does this influence contribute to weight problems in our society? How can we work with children without further distorting their ideas about body image or worsening their unhealthy obsession with weight? This presentation hopes to shed some light on this aspect of childhood obesity and explore a new intervention philosophy inspired by an innovative paradigm.

Fannie Dagenais is a dietitian and nutritionist. Since 2004, she has been director and spokesperson for ÉquiLibre, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to prevent and reduce weight-related problems in Quebec society. Her interest in weight issues dates back to 1998, when she first volunteered with ÉquiLibre as Secretary General, and later, Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors. She then accepted the position of Director to dedicate herself fulltime to the organization. Her communication and marketing skills, honed as a consultant for National Public Relations, have contributed greatly to improving the positioning of the organization and its programs. Over the past four years, she has developed considerable expertise in the fields of obesity and unhealthy body weight and body image obsessions. As spokesperson for ÉquiLibre, she collaborates regularly with print and electronic media, and lectures about the organization’s innovative approach to healthy weight management. Ms. Dagenais holds a bachelor’s degree in nutrition and a master’s in the study of consumer food behaviours. She sits on the Boards of Directors of the Conseil québécois sur le poids et la santé (CQPS) and the Réseau action santé pour la santé des femmes.

Consumer food choices are normally guided by taste, cost, and convenience. Given the current economic crisis and rising food prices, low cost has assumed priority over sound nutrition and even good taste. Will diet quality suffer as a result? As incomes drop and food budgets shrink, food choices shift toward cheaper refined grains, added sugars, and vegetable fats. Energy-rich starches, sweets, and fats, many of them nutrient-poor, frequently offer the cheapest way to fill hungry stomachs.

How can we assure affordable healthy diets for all? Past dietary guidelines were focused on nutrition alone, identifying those food groups, foods, or even single nutrients that had a demonstrated link to lower disease risk or better health. Given the current economic situation, it is time to identify the affordable nutritious foods within and across food groups.

What we need is adequate nutrition, affordable nutrition, and accessible nutrition.

Prof of Epidemiology and Adj. Prof. Medicine
Director, Nutritional Sciences Program
Director, Center for Public Health Nutrition
Director, UW Center for Obesity Research (UW COR)
Joint Member, FHCRC

Biographical Sketch

• MA in Biochemistry from Oxford University;. PhD in Psychology from the Rockefeller University, New York; Postdoctoral training at the University of Toronto, Canada.
• Research on food taste, cost and convenience in relation to food choices; studies on diet quality and diet cost; nutrient profiling of foods using NutriScore; studies on beverages, appetite and satiety; studies in social disparities and geographic distribution of obesity rates.
• Research funded by National Institutes of Health – P20 Exploratory Center for Obesity Research (2004-8) grant and RO1: Social disparities in obesity rates (2008-11);, the USDA, foundations and private industry.
• Awarded the 2005 French Food Spirit Award – the Sciences Trophy. Member of IOM Standing Committee to Prevent Childhood Obesity; Astor Visiting Lecturer, Oxford 2008, keynote speaker: Population Health Congress, Brisbane 2008.

Recent publications

• Drewnowski A, Specter SE. Poverty and obesity: the role of energy density and energy costs. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;79(1):6-16.
• Drewnowski A, Darmon N. The economics of obesity: dietary energy density and energy cost. Am J Clin Nutr 2005;82 (suppl) :265S-73S.
• Drewnowski A, Rehm C, Solet D. Disparities in obesity rates: Analysis by ZIP code area. Soc Sci Med. 2007
• Monsivais P, Drewnowski A. The rising cost of low-energy-density foods. J Am Diet Assoc. 2007;107: 2071-2076.
• Drewnowski A, Fulgoni V. Nutrient profiling of foods: creating a nutrient rich food index. Nutrition Reviews 2008;66(1):23-39.
• Darmon N, Drewnowski A. Does social class predict diet quality? Am J Clin Nutr 2008