VICE PRESIDENT
Dr. Vladimir Vuksan, PhD
Biography
Dr. Vladimir Vuksan is a professor in the Departments of Medicine and Nutritional Science at the University of Toronto. He is also the Associate Director of the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Centre at St. Michael’s Hospital and is President of Natural Health Products Research Society of Canada. Dr. Vuksan’s research over the past two decades has focussed on novel therapies to prevent and treat diabetes and heart disease based on medicinal herbs, dietary fiber and an ancient wholegrains. Dr. Vuksan’s research is internationally recognized as a scientific model to study the use of alternative medicine and its role in the management of chronic disease. One of Dr. Vuksan’s studies, published in the Journal of American Medical Association, was the first to demonstrate the effect of American ginseng on postprandial blood glucose metabolism.
Dr. Vuksan’s interest in diabetes stems back to his fourteen years as Program Director and Principal Nutrition Investigator of the Institute for Diabetes and Metabolism in Zagreb, Croatia, an appointment of the World Health Organization (WHO). He was also one of the principal investigators in the WHO’s Seven Year National Diabetes Surveillance Program in the Republic of Malta. This led to his appointment as advisor for the WHO in different Asian countries. As co-founder and first Director of the National Consortium for the Development, Production and Distribution of Dietetic Products, he assisted over 80 local and foreign companies in the development of over 150 dietetic food products and marketing concepts for Europe.
Dr. Vuksan has published over 150 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals. In 2003, he received the Government of Ontario award for excellence in nutrition and diabetes research and in 2008 received the Profession Award of the Year by the Canadian Croatian Chamber of Commerce in Toronto. Dr. Vuksan also holds a US patent for a viscous fiber blend. Many of Dr. Vuksan’s research discoveries are well recognized as commercial products and used by the public as health applications.
Dr. Vuksan’s pursuits are pioneering within the fields of nutrition, medicinal herbs, food science and technology. Aside from his teaching duties, his mandate is to continue his clinical and epidemiological research, propelling age old medicine into new forms of treatment for diabetes, obesity and heart disease.
SELECTED RESEARCH ARTICLES
Mente A, Razak F, Blankenberg S, Vuksan V, Davis AD, Miller R, Teo K, Ferstein H, Sharma AM, Yusuf S, Anand SS. Ethnic variation in adiponectin and leptin levels and their association wtih adiposity and insulin resistance. Diabetes Care 2010 Jul 33(7): 1629-34.
Vuksan V, Peeva V, Rogovik A, Beljan-Zdravkovic U, Stavro M, Jenkins A, Dias AG, Devanesen S, Sievenpiper J, Hanna A. The metabolic syndrome in healthy, multiethnic adolescents in Toronto, Ontario: the use of fasting blood glucose as a simple indicator. Can J Cardiol 2010 Mar; 26(3): e128-32.
Jovanovski E, Jenkins A, Dias AG, Peeva V, Sievenpiper J, Amason JT, Rahelic D, Josse RG, Vuksan V. Effects of Korean red ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Mayer) and its isolated ginsenosides and polysaccharides on arterial stiffness in healthy individuals. Am J Hypertens. 2010 May; 23(5): 469-72.
Vuksan V, Jenkins AL, Dias AG, Lee AS, Jovanovski E, Rogovik AL, Hanna A. Reduction in postprandial glucose excursion and prolongation of satiety: possible explanation of the long-term effects of whole grain Salba (Salvia Hispanica L.) Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010 Apr 64(4): 436-8.
Vuksan V, Rogovik AL, Jovanovski E, Jenkins AL. Fiber facts: benefits and recommendations for individuals with type 2 diabetes. Curr Diab Rep. 2009 Oct; 9(5): 405-11.
Jenkins A.L, Jenkins D, Wolever T, Rogovik AL, Jovanovski E, Bozikov V, Rahelic D, Vuksan V; Comparable Postprandial Glucose Reductions to Viscous Fiber Blend Enriched Biscuits in Healthy and Diabetic Subjects. Croatian Medical Journal, 2008.
de Koning L, Merchant AT, Hegele RA, Xie C, Vuksan V, Teo K, Yusuf S, Anand SS; Study of Health Assessment and Risk in Ethnic Groups investigators; Association of the FABP2 T54 variant with plasma triglycerides and insulin resistance in a multiethnic population. Clin Chem. 2008 Oct;54(10):1742-4.
Merchant AT, Kelemen LE, de Koning L, Lonn E, Vuksan V, Jacobs R, Davis B, Teo KK, Yusuf S, Anand SS; for the SHARE and SHARE-AP investigators. Interrelation of saturated fat, trans fat, alcohol intake, and subclinical atherosclerosis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Jan; 87(1):168-74.
Panahi S, Ezatagha A, Temelli F, Vasanthan T, Vuksan V., β-glucan from two sources of oat concentrates affect postprandial glycemia in relation to the level of viscosity. J Am Coll Nutr. 2007 Dec; 26(6):639-44.
Vuksan V, Whitham D, Sievenpiper JL, Jenkins AL, Rogovik AL, Bazinet RP, Vidgen E, Hanna A. Supplementation of Conventional Therapy with the Novel Grain Salba (Salvia hispanica L.) Improves Major and Emerging Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Type 2 Diabetes: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Diabetes Care. 2007 Aug 8: 1-15.
Sievenpiper JL, Ezatagha A, Dascalu A, Vuksan V. When a placebo is not a 'placebo': a placebo effect on postprandial glycaemia. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2007 Oct; 64 (4):546-9.
Dascalu A, Sivenpiper JL, Jenkins AL, Stavro MP, Arnason JT, Vuksan V. Five Batches of Ontario Grown American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolium) Root Produce Comparable Reductions of Postprandial Glycemia in Healthy Individuals. Can Journal Physio Pharm, 2007 Sep;85(9):856-64.
Anand SS, Razak F, Davis AD, Jacobs R, Vuksan V, Teo K, Yusuf S. Social disadvantage and cardiovascular disease: development of an index and analysis of age, sex, and ethnicity effects. Int J Epidemiol. 2006 Oct;35(5):1239-45.
Vuksan V, Sung MK, Sievenpiper JL, Stavro PM, Jenkins AL, Di Buono M, Lee KS, Leiter LA, Nam KY, Arnason JT, Choi M, Naeem A. Korean red ginseng (Panax ginseng) improves glucose and insulin regulation in well-controlled, type 2 diabetes: Results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of efficacy and safety. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2006 Jul 21.
Sievenpiper JL, Sung MK, Di Buono M, Seung-Lee K, Nam KY, Arnason JT, Leiter LA, Vuksan V. Korean red ginseng rootlets decrease acute postprandial glycemia: results from sequential preparation- and dose-finding studies. J Am Coll Nutr. 2006, Apr; 25(2): 100-7.
Stavro PM, Woo M,Heim TF, Sievenpiper JL, Leiter LA, Vuksan V. Long-term Intake of North American Ginseng is Associated with a Neutral Effect on 24-Hour Blood Pressure and Renal Function. A Randomized, Controlled, Trial in Hypertensive Individuals, Hypertension, 2006, 47: 791-6.
Merchant AT, Anand SS, Vuksan V, Jacobs R, Davis B, Teo K, Yusuf S. Protein intake is inversely associated with abdominal obesity in a multi-ethnic population. J Nutr. 2005, 135: (5):1196-201.
Razak F, Anand S, Vuksan V, Davis B, Jacobs R, Teo KK, Yusuf S. Ethnic differences in the relationship between obesity and glucose metabolic abnormalities: a cross-sectional population-based study. Int J Obes Metab Disor. 2005 Mar 22.
Sievenpiper JL, Arnason JT, Vidgen E, Leiter LA, Vuksan V. A Systematic Quantitative Analysis of the Literature of the High Variability in Ginseng (Panax spp.): Should Ginseng be Trusted in Diabetes? Diabetes Care, Number 3, March 2004.
Kelemen LE, Anand SS, Hegele RA, Stampfer MJ, Rosner B, Willett WC, Montague PA, Lonn E, Vuksan V, Yi Q, Teo KK, Devanesen S, Yusuf S. Association of plasma homocysteine and the methylenetrahydrofolate reductase C677T polymorphism with carotid intima media thickness among South Asian, Chinese and European Canadians. Atherosclerosis, 2004;176:361-370.
Anand S, Rezak F, Yi Q, Davis B, Jacobs R, Vuksan V, Lonn E, Teo K, McQueen M, Yusuf S. C-recative protein as a screening test for cardiovascular risk in a multiethnic population. Artetioscler Thromb Vasc Biol, 2004;24:1509-1515.
Sievenpiper JL, Vuksan V. Glycemic Index in the Treatment of Diabetes: The Debate Continues. J Am Coll. Nutr, 2004, 23:1-4.
Anand S, Yi Q, Gerstein H, Lonn E, Jacobs R, Vuksan V, Teo K, Davis B, Monatgue P, Yusuf S. Relationship of the Metabolic Syndrome and Fibrinolytic Dysfunction to Cardiovascular disease. Circulation 2003 29;108(4):420-5.
Jenkins DJ, Kendal CW, Marchie A, Jenkins AL, Connelly PW, Jones PJ and Vuksan V. The Garden of Eden-plant based diets, the genetic drive to conserve cholesterol and its implications for heart disease in the 21stcentury. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol. 2003;136(1):141-51.
Sievenpiper JL, Arnason JT, Leiter LA, Vuksan V. Variable effects of American ginseng: A batch of American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) with a depressed ginsenoside profile does not affect postprandial glycemia. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2003 Feb; 57(2):243-8.
Anand SS, Razak F, Vuksan V, Gerstein HC, Malmberg K, Yi Q, Teo KK, Yusuf S. Diagnostic strategies to detect glucose intolerance in a multiethnic population. Diabetes Care. 2003 Feb;26(2):290-6.
Gerstein HC, Anand S, Yi QL, Vuksan V, Lonn E, Teo K, Malmberg K, McQueen M, Yusuf S. The relationship between dysglycemia and atherosclerosis in South Asian, Chinese, and European individuals in Canada: a randomly sampled cross-sectional study. Diabetes Care. 2003 Jan;26(1):144-9.
Jenkins AL, Jenkins DJ, Zdravkovic U, Wursch P, Vuksan V. Depression of the glycemic index by high levels of beta-glucan fiber in two functional foods tested in type 2 diabetes. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2002 Jul;56(7):622-8.
Sievenpiper JL, Jenkins DJA, Josse RG, Leiter LA, Vuksan V. Simple skinfold measurements complement conventional anthropometric assessments in predicting glucose tolerance. Am J Clin Nutr 2001;73:567-574.
Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, Popovich DG, Vidgen E, Mehling CC, Vuksan V, Ransom TP, Rao AV, Rosenberg-Zand R, Tariq N, Corey P, Jones PJ, Raeini M, Story JA, Furumoto EJ, Illingworth DR, Pappu AS, Connelly PW. Effect of a very-high-fiber vegetable, fruit, and nut diet on serum lipids and colonic function. Metabolism. 2001;50:494-503.
Vuksan V, Stavro MP, Sievenpiper JL, Beljan-Zdravkovic U, Leiter LA, Josse RG, Xu Z. Similar postprandial glycemic reductions with escalation of dose and administration time of American ginseng in type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care, 2000 Sep;23(9):1221-1226.
Vuksan V, Seivenpiper JL, Wong J, Xu Z, Beljan-Zdravkovic U, Arnason JT, Assinewe V, Stavro MP, Jenkins AL, Leiter LA, Josse RG, Francis T. American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L) attenuates postprandial glycemic in a time but not dose dependent manner in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr, 2001 Apr;73(4):753-758.
Vuksan V, Sievenpiper JL, Xu Z, Jenkins AL, Beljan-Zdravkovic U, Leiter LA, Josse RG, Stavro, MP. Konjac-mannan and American ginseng: Emerging alternative therapies for type 2 diabetes mellitus. J Am Coll Nutr, 2001 Oct;20(5 Suppl):370s-380s.
Vuksan V, Sievenpiper JL. The variable effects of whole-leaf digitalis is a paradigm of the glycemic effects of ginseng. Arch Intern Med. 2000 Nov 27;160(21):3330-1.
Vuksan V, Sievenpiper JL, Owen R, Swilley JA, Spadafora P, Jenkins DJ, Vidgen E, Brighenti F, Josse RG, Leiter LA, Xu Z, Novokmet R. Beneficial effects of viscous dietary fiber from Konjac-mannan in subjects with the insulin resistance syndrome: results of a controlled metabolic trial. Diabetes Care. 2000 Jan; 23(1):9-14.
Vuksan V, Sievenpiper JL, Koo VY, Francis T, Beljan-Zdravkovic U, Xu Z, Vidgen E. American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L) reduces postprandial glycemia in nondiabetic subjects and subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Arch Intern Med. 2000 Apr 10;160(7):1009-13.
Sievenpiper JL, Jenkins DJA, Josse RG, Vuksan V. Body composition does not affect the intra-subject coefficient-of-variation of 75g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) outcome but might influence the reproducibility of diagnosis. CJDC 2000;24:2-39-46.
Jenkins DJA, Kendall CWC, Vidgen E, Vuksan V, Jackson CJ, Augustin LSA, Lee B, Garsetti M, Agarwal S, Rao AV, Cagampang GB, Fulgoni V III. Effect of soy based breakfast cereal on blood lipids and oxidized LDL. Metabolism 2000 Nov;49(11):1496-5000.
Sievenpiper JL, Jenkins DJ, Josse RG, Vuksan V. Dilution of the 75-g oral glucose tolerance test increases postprandial glycemia: implications for diagnostic criteria. CMAJ. 2000 Apr 4;162(7):993-6.
