The Advanced Foods and Materials Network (AFMNet) is partnered with over 25 Canadian Universities where researchers are working on the latest and newest health and wellness findings. Translating these research findings into benefits for Canadians is what Guelph Wellness is all about. The Guelph Wellness Initiative is the vehicle for health and wellness knowledge translation, bringing participants the most up to date and current findings that could directly benefit wellness.

Further, participants have the option to directly contribute to the translation of this research by signing up for focus groups, clinical research and on-line questionnaires. This group will be benefitting in real time from the most up to date health research in Canada.

Here is the latest:

Provided the first evidence of the role that a variation in the GLUT2 gene has on sugar intake to help explain individual preferences for foods high in sugar.
While it is accepted that certain environmental factors influence the foods we like and dislike, AFMNet researchers Ahmed El-Sohemy, Karen Eny, Thomas Wolever and Bénédicte Fontaine-Bisson have now proven that there is also a genetic basis for our food preferences. The University of Toronto based research team examined the effect of a common variation in a gene that controls the entry of sugar (glucose) into cells. The study found that individuals with a specific genetic variation in the GLUT2 gene consistently consume more sugary foods. Individuals who have this variation of the gene may have an impaired ability to detect change in blood sugar that ultimately signals the brain to stop eating. El-Sohemy hopes that his cutting edge research will lead to diets tailored to our genetic make-up, helping people make healthier nutritional choices and ultimately, healthier lives.

Showed that One in Seven Young Canadian Adults is Deficient in Vitamin C
One in seven young adults in Canada is deficient in vitamin C, according to a first-of-its kind AFMNet study of Canadians between the ages of 20 and 29. The study was conducted by AFMNet researchers Ahmed El-Sohemy and Leah Cahill of the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto.

In addition to determining this staggering deficiency, the study also found that young adults with a vitamin C deficiency have significantly higher waist circumference, body mass index, inflammation and blood pressure - indicators of chronic disease and obesity - than do people with adequate blood levels of vitamin C.

The reason for these elevated indicators can be explained by the wide range of health benefits provided by vitamin C. Regarding chronic disease, vitamin C protects cells and their DNA from damage that can cause inflammation and heart disease. It also keeps the immune system nourished, strengthening it to battle ailments from the common cold to various types of cancers. Vitamin C also helps battle obesity by helping to produce a molecule called carnitine needed to burn fat. Studies have shown that subjects with inadequate blood vitamin C concentrations burn less fat during exercise than subjects with adequate vitamin C. Therefore, vitamin C deficient people may be more resistant to fat loss and more likely to become obese. The fatigue that accompanies vitamin C deficiency may also prevent people from being as active as they could be if they had adequate vitamin C levels.

"Our research found that 47 per cent of young Canadian adults have deficient or sub-optimal blood levels of vitamin C, which is associated with adverse health effects," said Dr. El-Sohemy. "These results demonstrate the importance of obtaining the recommended dietary allowance of vitamin C for young Canadians."

The recommended dietary allowance for vitamin C is 75 milligrams (mg) per day for women and 90 mg/day for men. Since vitamin C is not naturally produced in the body, people must obtain this essential nutrient from their diet. Leah Cahill, a registered dietitian and AFMNet HQP, suggests that "fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of vitamin C. For example, a yellow pepper contains 341 mg, 3 spears of broccoli contain 87 mg and an orange contains 70 mg of vitamin C. Canadians need to incorporate more vitamin C into their diets, "It's so easy to obtain, it's good for your health and many sources are delicious."

The findings of the study, called Vitamin C Deficiency in a Population of Young Canadian Adults, were published in the American Journal of Epidemiology in July 2009.