health nature

Outdoor fun helps keep kids fit.See page 5.

INSIDE: WACKY WEATHER • BRAND NEW BUGS • BADGERING CATTLE

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RESEARCH Fall 2006 3Health and Nature

Kids need wild places, outdoors to let loose 5

Canine visits to hospitals could cause problems 6

An unlikely aquatic issue 8

Outdoor areas don’t suit smokers’ needs 9

Adapting to climate change 10

Tracing metal contamination risks on human health 12

Information exchange vital for containing avian flu 14

Keeping tabs on swine disease 16

Badgering the cattle industry 17

Insects: Indicators of a changing environment 18

A furry bandit spreads disease to dogs 20

New seeds bring improved health and food security 22

An eye on food safety 23

National surveillance of avian flu is co-ordinated effort 24

Meet the Research contributors 26

Cover photo by Dave Peleschak

6

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ContentsFall 2006 Issue, Volume XXI, Number 1

Health and Nature

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Volume XXI, Number 1Research, University of Guelph, Fall 2006

A PUBLICATION TO PROMOTE DIALOGUE, UNDERSTANDING AND COMMUNICATIONABOUT RESEARCH ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH

FOCUS: PUBLIC HEALTH

Vice-President (Research)Alan Wildeman

Acting Associate Vice-President (Research and International Relations)Anthony Clarke

Executive EditorRobert Jacobs

EditorOwen Roberts

Associate Editor and Project Co-ordinatorKim Waalderbos

Copy EditorBarbara Chance

DesignJnD Marketing

Advertising and MarketingMarianne Clark and Lilian Schaer

Financial ManagementDave Reinhart

Address correspondence to:Owen Roberts, Director of Research CommunicationsOffice of Research, Room 437E, University CentreUniversity of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1Phone: 519-824-4120, Ext. 58278 E-mail: [email protected]

To advertise in Research, contact:Lilian Schaer, Research Communications and Marketing OfficerOffice of Research, Room 437, University CentreUniversity of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1Phone: 519-824-4120, Ext. 53781E-mail: [email protected]

University of Guelph student research-writing initiatives are supported by these sponsors:

Founding sponsor: Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited4-H OntarioAdFarmAdvanced Foods and Materials NetworkAgricultural Adaptation CouncilDr. George AtkinsBetter FarmingCanadian Network of Toxicology CentresCountry Guide OntarioDairy Farmers of OntarioGreenhouse CanadaGROWMARK Inc.Guelph MercuryMaple Leaf Foods InternationalMonsanto CanadaOntario Agri-Food TechnologiesOntario Cattlemen’s AssociationOntario Institute of AgrologistsOntario Farmer publicationsOntario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural AffairsOntario PorkOntario Soil and Crop Improvement AssociationOntario Soybean GrowersOntario Wheat Producers' Marketing BoardRothsaySeCanSoy 20/20Syngenta Crop Protection Canada

Publications Mail Agreement Number 1652575

Please return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:Room 437, University Centre, University of GuelphGuelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1

Printed at the Lowe-Martin Group, September 2006, ISSN 0841-9493

Visit the University of Guelph research website:www.uoguelph.ca/research

4 RESEARCH Fall 2006 Health and Nature

A dual reflectionon health and natureResearchers at the University ofGuelph have a lot to say about healthand they have a lot to say aboutnature. And so they should. Healthand nature — or well-being and theenvironment — are heady words.They embrace a broad spectrum ofthings that matter most to people,such as minimizing the likelihood orimpact of adverse health, or doingthings that help us understand andtake care of the world around us. Inso many ways, these words are alsointimately linked.

The Roman god Janus had a dou-ble-faced head, with each face lookingoutward in opposite directions. He was noted as being the god of gatesand doors, the god of beginnings and endings. He was heralded atimportant transitions in people’s lives when they reflect on the past andlook forward, such as harvest time, marriage and birth. He also came torepresent the transition between primitive living and civility, betweenrural and city life, between war and peace, and between youth and age.While each member of these various dualities is distinctive from itspartner, they are all different faces of the same existence.

This issue of the University of Guelph’s Research magazine is a dualreflection on health and nature. From one side, you will read aboutwhat Guelph researchers are doing to learn more about the nature ofhealth. From cancer research to studies of infectious diseases and ani-mal health, new discoveries are being made about the mechanismsunderlying diseases and new research on how to stay healthy is underway. From the other side, you will read about health and nature. Youwill find stories about research being done to help us understand thenatural world around us, and how the health of that world and our ownhealth are linked.

The format is in the tradition of Janus, because when we use theword health, there are literally at least two sides to every story. This isnot two issues of the Research magazine merely stapled together.Rather, this issue provides you with two perspectives on health and theworld we live in and on research being done at the University of Guelphto help us understand their relationships.

Each of us in our lifetime will deal with transitions in health andnature. At our university, there is a history of doing things that are rel-evant to the health and well-being of people, communities and theenvironment. This issue highlights how, in a world with more peoplethan ever before and an environment under greater stress, this traditionis continuing through world-class research that becomes more relevantand needed with each passing year.

Alan WildemanVice-President (Research)

Alan Wildeman

LET’S START HERE

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Well-meaning safety concerns — aswell as TV and video games — are keeping kidssedate and indoors and may be restricting theirappreciation of, familiarity with and enjoymentof nearby natural environments, say Universityof Guelph landscape architecture researchers.

Prof. Nate Perkins, School of EnvironmentalDesign and Rural Development, believes thatwild places such as woodlots, creeks andhedgerows develop children’s imaginations inways that virtual simulations never will.

“I understand why parents may be afraid ofthe risks occurring outside of the home,” hesays, “but what they don’t recognize is that wildplaces can have health benefits for their chil-dren.”

Perkins and former graduate student SarahMcCans are examining how wild places can bepreserved and better used by urban and subur-ban children. They’re also taking a closer look at

the availability of wild places, how many chil-dren use these spaces and ways to increase par-ents’ awareness of the benefits such places canoffer.

Perkins also thinks concerns about tradition-al playground equipment should be put in per-spective. He’s found that the No. 1 safety hazardat North American schools is actually theasphalt that playgrounds are built on or around.In most cases, however, it’s the playgroundequipment that’s being removed, not theasphalt.

Surfaces aside, outdoor play is crucial to achild’s physical, psychological and social devel-opment, says Perkins. In particular, the out-doors can provide inspiration for more creativethinking. Children from rural and suburbanareas, who tend to spend more time outdoors,have more highly developed imaginations, hesays.

“Kids know more about rainforest ecology inBrazil than what’s going on in their backyards.They have more knowledge, but they don’texplore and experience their everyday environ-ments. We hope to help change that.”

Also involved in this project was Prof. BarbMorrongiello, Department of Psychology.

This research was funded in part by theEnvironmental Design Research Association. A

Go wild!Kids need places outdoors to let looseBy Alicia Roberts

Dave Peleschak

Wild play areas develop children’s imaginations in ways

that structured and programmed play areas never can, says a

University of Guelph professor.

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A visit from Fido has been shown to benefitsome patients in hospitals and long-term-carefacilities by offering companionship. But dothese soothing canine connections actually domore harm than good? Ontario VeterinaryCollege researchers wonder.

Prof. Scott Weese of the Department ofClinical Studies, along with PhD candidateSandra Lefebvre and Prof. David Waltner-Toewsof the Department of Population Medicine, islooking at whether hospital visitation programsthat put dogs in touch with human patientshave risks that aren’t being addressed.

“Animals that are brought into the facilitiescan be a source of infection for hospitals, butthey can also pick up diseases and spread themto the community outside the hospital,” saysWeese.

It may be as easy as petting a seeminglyhealthy dog that is actually carrying an infec-tious pathogen.

In fall 2004, he and his research team beganlooking closely at dog visitation programs,including what types of patients are being visit-ed, the form of contact allowed between ani-mals and people, what pathogen types the dogs

carry and what types they pick up over time.In the study’s first phase, 102 dogs in visita-

tion programs across Ontario were tested forpathogens. The results showed the majority ofdogs were carrying at least one pathogen that istransmissible to people. In particular, 58 percent of the dogs tested positive for variousstrains of Clostridium difficile, the most com-mon cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea inpeople. Other major bacteria that raise the mostconcern, such as methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), were


Canine friends that visit patientsthrough hospital and long-term-carecompanionship programs may alsobe a source of disease.

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Dogs, germs and hospitals


not detected in the dogs.MRSA and VRE are significant causes of dis-

ease in hospitalized people. MRSA can causeeverything from surgical-site infections topneumonia and bloodstream infections. VRE ismost often associated with persistent urinary-tract infections and bloodstream and woundinfections.

Lefebvre says MRSA and VRE infections areparticularly hard to treat because they’re resist-ant to the common front-line antimicrobials.This means both infections are significant caus-es of sickness and death in acute-care facilities

and increasingly in long-term-care facilities.MRSA, VRE and C. difficile are now being

monitored in dogs during the second phase ofthe study. Their prevalence is being tracked in100 dogs before the animals enter care facilitiesand then throughout their visitations for oneyear. A control group of another 100 dogs thatdon’t enter hospitals or long-term-care facilitiesis also being studied to understand the incidence of these pathogens under naturalconditions, without exposure to human health-care facilities. Already, the researchers havefound instances of MRSA-causing bacteria in

dogs visiting care facilities and are furtheringpursuing their prevalence and significance.

Ultimately, Weese and his team will use theirresearch results to work with government andmedical associations to create standard evidence-based guidelines to use in animal visitation programs. They hope these guidelineswill keep the risk of infectious diseases to a minimum.

This research is supported by the CanadianInstitutes of Health Research and OVC’s PetTrust. A

Dogs, germs and hospitals

By Kate Roberts

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Aspirin and antibiotics — these familiardrugs treat illness and disease in humans andanimals, but do they cause environmental prob-lems when they enter ecosystems? No, sayresearchers in the University of Guelph’s Centrefor Toxicology. In fact, they say the environmen-tal concentrations of the 25 common drugsthey’ve studied are much lower than the thresh-old where effects appear.

The concentrations they found were 100 to1,000 times smaller than those that have causedproblems in controlled experiments with aquat-ic organisms, says Prof. Keith Solomon, wholeads the project.

“There is little reason to be concerned withthe concentrations of these pharmaceuticalscurrently found in the environment,” he says.

The results are important because, until now,no studies had looked at the environmentaleffects of pharmaceuticals being used in animalproduction — and these drugs account for anestimated 40 per cent of all antibiotics producedin North America.

Solomon’s team studied individual doses andmixtures of 25 common pharmaceuticals,including antidepressants (selective serotoninre-uptake inhibitors), the cholesterol drug ator-vastatin, and antibiotics such as tetracyclines,sulfonamides and fluoroquinolones.

Even though most pharmaceuticals breakdown relatively quickly in the environment,their continual use and eventual presence insurface water has raised concerns about poten-tial environmental effects.

To shed light on the matter, Solomon andgraduate student Linda Lissemore examinedconcentrations of popular agricultural pharma-ceuticals in the Grand River watershed in south-ern Ontario. The watershed includes bothintense agricultural production and urbanareas.

Lissemore found that surface water sampleshad pharmaceutical concentrations in thenanogram-per-litre range. But effects on plantsand animals have been observed only at themicrogram-per-litre range, a thousand times

higher, she says.Solomon says interpreting such results from

the watershed study requires accurate measuresof the concentrations at which drugs affectplants and animals in the environment. They’vepioneered what they believe is a more realisticand accurate way to evaluate the effects of phar-maceuticals on complex natural ecosystemsthan can be achieved through conventional lab-oratory methods. They’ve created outdoormicrocosms — 1,200-litre ponds complete withalgae, plants and insects.

“Our microcosm system has become thebenchmark for accurately measuring the envi-ronmental effects of pharmaceuticals,” saysSolomon. “The system allows us to control thesubstances we want to evaluate while still allow-ing Mother Nature to be involved.”

Located near the main U of G campus, theponds have been an essential tool for theresearch team. Graduate student Richard Brainmeasured the threshold level of drugs for aquat-ic plants by observing when antibiotics pro-duced a noticeable decline in the green pigmen-tation of plants. In particular, chloroplasts (thecell components responsible for capturing solarenergy and turning plants green) were reducedby the extreme antibiotic concentrations.

This research was sponsored by Agricultureand Agri-Food Canada, the Beef ResearchCouncil and the Canadian Network ofToxicology Centres. A

An unlikely environmental problem for aquaticplants and animalsBy Brian Innes

Surface waterscontain much lower

concentrations ofpharmaceutical

contaminates than expected, say University

of Guelph toxicologists.

Kyle Rodriguez

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Designated smoking areas are fine...as long as you’re not a smoker. These areas aretypically in remote, isolated locations — pur-posefully located away from places non-smok-ers congregate — which deters smokers fromusing them. Instead, when smokers go outside,they tend to gather near entrances and over-hangs, especially in cold weather. Non-smokersend up being exposed to second-hand smoke,and conflict can ensue.

Landscape architecture professor NatePerkins of the University of Guelph’s School ofEnvironmental Design and Rural Developmentthinks the whole issue needs re-examining andthat designers and planners need to find smok-ers places that are “accessible yet not problemat-ic.” He and colleagues at the University ofToronto are finishing a three-year study princi-pally funded by the Canadian Cancer Society topinpoint causes of misuse of designated smok-ing areas and make those areas less contentiousfor all users.

Perkins’ colleagues met with focus groups in2003 to look closely at smoker and non-smokerinteractions and the attitudes both groups holdin their shared environments. After manyOntario cities implemented a smoking bylawrequiring smokers to take it outside, smokersand non-smokers alike felt a sense of discrimi-nation, he says.

The focus groups were followed by more thana year of behavioural observations in 12Toronto locations. The results indicated thatsmokers are influenced by physical and socialfactors such as location of seating, sightlines,shelter, types of users and unwritten socialnorms. Although smokers and non-smokersrarely interacted in smoking areas, most smok-ers were considerate of others while smokingoutside. For example, many smokers wouldmove to locations away from gathering areas.

Perkins believes it’s important to understandhow social and physical factors influence whereand when people smoke, to understand outdoor

smoking areas and develop smoking policiesbetter suited to these environments.

He says design recommendations that comeout of this study may increase compliance withnon-smoking regulations through the use ofvisual cues, such as increased use of signs andashtrays and more clearly defined boundaries.

“Smoking is as much a social activity as it isanything else,” says Perkins. “We need to deter-mine the kinds of facilities this behaviourrequires, then focus on bringing smokers to

those areas.”He hopes that reducing the conflict between

smokers and non-smokers could also influencesocial norms about smoking, which mightresult in more attempts to quit smoking and alower incidence of relapse. A

Moving their butts around outsideOutdoor smoking areas just aren’t suiting smokers’ needsBy Alicia Roberts

Kyle Rodriguez

Smokers will be more apt touse designated smoking

areas that are convenient.

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With an increase in extreme weatherevents such as floods, hurricanes and droughts,climate change is a growing concern around theworld. Researchers at the University of Guelphare taking a lead in evaluating the vulnerabilityof communities and regions to climate change.They want to provide strategies and measures tohelp communities adapt, internationally and athome.

Prof. Barry Smit, Canadian Research Chair inGlobal Environmental Change, has assembled aresearch team to work with people in vulnerableareas. Bangladesh (salinization and food sup-ply), Samoa (cyclones and drinking water),

Vietnam (flooding, water and sanitation) andEast Africa (drinking water, food and sleepingsickness) are some of the regions where Smitand his team are working with communitymembers. He’s helping people in these areasidentify what they can expect with climatechange and establish ways to deal with it.

For Smit, planning is key.“The ability of people to capitalize on know-

ing what may happen, rather than pray forweather that isn’t coming, will determine whosucceeds in the future,” he says. “Unusualweather patterns are going to continue and, forsome people, they’ll get worse.”

Climate change is being influenced by thegreenhouse effect, an analogy used to describethe process whereby carbon dioxide (CO2) andother gases trap energy from radiation in theEarth’s atmosphere, raising the planet’s surfacetemperature. Because of increased CO2 emis-sions from human activities, researchers believewe are now beginning to see the ramificationsof the greenhouse effect.

Researchers say that, as the Earth’s tempera-ture increases, the warming climate will causesea levels to rise, change wind and moisture pat-terns, and intensify many weather extremes.

Climate change effects will likely be felt first

Plan to changeCommunity vulnerability target of U of G researchers studying global climate change

By Clinton Buttar and Rebecca Moore


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by nations where livelihoods are sensitive to cli-mate and rising sea levels. Nations or groupswith less adaptive capacity, such as social sup-ports and resilient infrastructures, will also faceproblems. The effects could include floodingand loss of homes, reduced and contaminateddrinking water, increased disease spread, andfamine resulting from extreme weather such asrecurring droughts.

On the home front, Canada’s Arctic, trans-portation sector, forestry, fisheries and agricul-ture are already experiencing losses associatedwith unusual climatic conditions. Prairie agri-culture, for example, has faced unprecedenteddroughts in recent years.

“Climate change is often thought of as onlyglobal warming, referring to long-term changesin average temperature,” says Smit. “But climatechange is also the frequency and severity ofdroughts, and these have immediate and seriousconsequences for producers and for the agri-food sector.”

Although the gradual changes in climate maybe difficult to identify, sharing information onadaptation strategies to deal with events such asdroughts makes sense, he says.

Enter the Canadian Climate Impacts andAdaptation Research Network for Agriculture(C-CIARN Agriculture), which was brought tofruition by Smit and Prof. Ellen Wall of theFaculty of Environmental Sciences. Sponsoredby the federal government, the network pro-motes information exchange while facilitatingclimate change adaptation research that’sgeared towards helping Canada’s agriculturalsector.

“Our primary interest is to ensure thatresearch is practical for the farming communityso they have access to new adaptation strate-gies,” says Wall.

She says members of the network are lookingat what farmers do now to manage a number ofrisks, including those associated with climateand weather, so those strategies can be bolsteredin preparation for future stresses from climatechange.

For example, a study through theSaskatchewan Research Council is documentinghow Canadian farmers dealt with the wide-spread 2001/2002 drought. The project’s goal isto determine what farmers did during thedrought, how successful their adaptation strate-

gies were, and what tools and resources theyneeded at the time. Researchers will make theinformation available to government, producersand other stakeholders to help in developingstrategies to deal with the impact of extremeweather on the agricultural community in thefuture.

“Farming is an inherently risky business,”says Wall. “Having to deal with variability andother weather conditions resulting from climatechange will only make it more risky. We hopethe information presented to producersthrough the network will help them deal withmanaging some of that increased uncertainty.”

C-CIARN is supported by the Canadian gov-ernment through the Climate ChangeDirectorate. Smit’s research is funded byArticNet Networks of Centres of Excellence, theCanada Foundation for Innovation, the CanadaResearch Chairs program, Natural ResourcesCanada’s Climate Change Impacts andAdaptation Program, the Northern ScientificTraining Program, the Ontario Ministry ofAgriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and theSocial Sciences and Humanities ResearchCouncil. A


Isolated northern communities such as Arctic Bay on BaffinIsland are getting help from Guelph researchers to forecast

what to expect from climate changes and how to adapt.

Global Environmental Change Group

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Concern about hazardous metals mayextend beyond mining towns — trace metalscan reach toxic levels in food, soil and dust inmany environments. To understand the exactexposure risks, researchers across Canada haveteamed up with the University of Guelph toform the Metals in the Human EnvironmentResearch Network (MITHE-RN).

Directed by Prof. Beverley Hale of theDepartment of Land Resource Science, the net-work was launched to provide sound scientificguidance to Canadian regulators trying to pro-tect human health and simultaneously promotea business climate that supports safe miningand manufacturing. Now in its second year, thenetwork draws together 39 academic and gov-ernment research projects from across Canada.

“Regulators are obligated to keep people safe,but they also need to protect industry,” saysHale.

Clean-up costs can be crushing for industriesthat contaminate soil, water and air. It’s oftenmore economical to abandon a plant or refinerythan to clean up the area, which means govern-ments or communities are left with the burden.

In some cases, risks may not be as serious ascurrent regulations indicate, says Hale. Metalssuch as lead, nickel, arsenic and cadmium, forexample, can exist in several forms, and onlysome of these forms may pose serious health orenvironmental risks. Many forms may be harm-less. Identifying and distinguishing safe forms ofmetals from those that may pose a risk is themajor contribution of the network, she says,and this ultimately supports the development ofdefensible regulations.

The network’s three research areas underlineU of G’s strengths: ecosystems, agriculture andhuman health. Hale notes, for example, thatGuelph is one of the few institutions with thefacilities and personnel to support her researchinto how animals absorb cadmium. Otherresearch within the network deals with foodconcerns. Many crops such as soybeans andcorn, for example, take up metals as they grow,

but exactly how this occurs isn’t completelyunderstood.

One project is studying how zinc from ani-mal feeds ends up in manure spread as fertilizeron fields, where it can be carried up into plantsand ultimately ingested by consumers. Otherstudies are examining the health risks of eatingunwashed vegetables carrying soil with metaltraces, and the risks to children who may inad-vertently ingest soil while playing outside.

But it’s not all an outdoors matter. Householddust, which can carry trace metals into thelungs, is usually a result of common householdactivities and crossover from outdoor particles.Hale says research in this area is also helpingturn attention to indoor products rather thancontaminated soil outside for metal remedia-tion.

“Through the network, we can learn whichmetal exposure scenarios pose the greatest risk,then focus resources where they do the mostgood for human health,” she says.

Three other researchers co-lead the MITHE-RN with Hale: Guelph professor Len Ritter, whoheads the Canadian Network of ToxicologyCentres, Peter Campbell of Université duQuébec and William Hendershot of McGillUniversity.

Joint funding for the network is provided bythe Natural Sciences and Engineering ResearchCouncil in co-operation with Agriculture andAgri-Food Canada; Environment Canada;Natural Resources Canada; Health Canada; theOntario Ministry of the Environment; theOntario Ministry of Agriculture, Food andRural Affairs; Jacques Whitford Ltd.; the MiningAssociation of Canada; and the internationalEcotoxicity Technical Advisory Panel. A

Tracing metal contamination

Network considers risks of metals on human health

By Arthur Churchyard

Getting the dirt on trace metals and their impacts on food, soil and dust in the environment will help researchers

in a new network guide regulations to protect human health.

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The danger avian influenza poses toCanada’s poultry industry is feared by membersof the production sector. The stakes are highbecause poultry and related products play a keyrole in the success and health of Canada’s agri-cultural industry, particularly in Ontario.

“Southern Ontario has a very intensive poul-try industry, and every infectious disease couldhave a devastating impact,” says Prof. Eva Nagy,a virologist in the Department of Pathobiologyat the University of Guelph.

Ontario’s poultry industry is the largest inCanada, accounting for 35 per cent of nationalproduction. With a provincial industry thatrepresents about $1.6 billion a year, officialsdon’t take chances with disease.

Producers must practise proper biosecurity,which is the first and primary defence against

viral outbreaks, says Nagy. Wild birds may act asreservoirs of influenza virus, and most biosecu-rity measures include isolating poultry from theoutside environment.

But biosecurity can vary from farm to farm,she says. Major outbreaks can result, such as theone in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley in 2004.Almost 15 million chickens were killed, result-ing in the loss of 410 commercial poultry farmsand 553 backyard flocks as officials containedthe outbreak caused by a highly pathogenicH7N3 subtype of avian influenza virus.

“The important thing to do during an out-break is to localize the disease,” says Nagy. “If wecan do that with poultry during an influenzascare, it will save the industry.”

Although the B.C. outbreak progressed fur-ther than officials would have liked, it was a

valuable learning experience, she says. And itillustrated the importance of acting quickly tostem the transmission of a virus.

She notes that the monitoring system set upin Canada is a crucial factor in identifying andcontaining potential epidemics. The currentidentification of low-pathogenic avian influen-za viruses shows the system is working, sheadds.

Identifying and containing avian influenzarequires producer vigilance, says Nagy. And akey factor in maintaining this vigilance is ensur-ing that producers and consumers continuallyreceive up-to-date, accurate information.Scientists have a major role to play in this infor-mation exchange, she says. A

Information exchangevital for containingavian flu, says expertBy Rebecca Moore

Figure 1

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An avian flu primer

• Avian influenza is an infection causedby avian (bird) influenza (flu) viruses.

• Three types of influenza virus exist —influenza virus types A, B and C. TheH5N1 subtype of influenza A occursmainly in birds.

• Avian influenza viruses can be classi-fied as highly pathogenic or low-path-ogenic viruses.

• Low-pathogenic viruses cause eitherno clinical signs or mild signs that cango undetected, such as ruffled feathersand decreased egg production.

• Highly pathogenic viruses causesevere disease in poultry by attackingthe internal organs. The mortalityrate can reach 90 to 100 per cent.

• Generally, an influenza virus thatinfects poultry will not infecthumans. There are, however, con-firmed cases in humans.

• Influenza viruses are constantlychanging and may adapt over time toinfect and spread among humans.

Infection occurs when acomplete virus particlecalled a virion attaches to asusceptible cell (Figure 1).The virion is brought intothe cell (Figure 2), where itreleases its RNA (Figure 3).RNA, like DNA, is the blue-print for replication and isused to create many copiesof the virion’s components.Once replication is com-plete, the components arerepackaged to form a newvirus particle, which isreleased from the cell toinfect other adjacent cells(Figure 4).

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

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Understanding animal diseases thathave been linked to food-borne illness is animportant step towards greater food safety andhuman health protection. To that end, sentinelherds — swine herds maintained as sentinels ofhealth monitoring — have been establishedacross Ontario. By being regularly observed,they can give researchers — and the entire porkindustry — an accurate report card on herdhealth across the province.

For five years, Prof. Robert Friendship of theDepartment of Population Medicine has stud-ied about 100 herds of varying sizes locatedacross Ontario to track disease prevalence andto begin to understand what factors may influ-ence its spread.

“We’ve been able to get a fairly good idea ofhow prevalent particular organisms are on pigfarms,” says Friendship. “That should help iden-tify how best to reduce risk factors to controldisease spread.”

Friendship and his team measured for thebacteria Campylobacter coli, Salmonella andYersinia enterocolitica, as well as the parasiteToxoplasma gondii, which can be passed to pigsby cats. All these organisms can contaminatemeat and have been linked to food-borne illnessin humans. The team also studied the swineinfluenza virus.

They found Campylobacter, Salmonella andYersinia pathogens were widespread in theswine herds. Friendship says this finding meansit would not be feasible at this time for theswine industry to implement eradication meas-ures to eliminate these organisms at the farmlevel, although there may be ways to reducetheir presence.

“Strains of these bacteria naturally exist inmost pigs,” he says, so measures to reduce thehuman health risk should be directed at abat-

toirs and at emphasizing good food-handlingpractices in the home.

He suggests that controlling bacteria willrequire a farm-to-fork approach that includesensuring that meat contamination doesn’toccur during processing by carefully handlingthe intestines where the organisms reside. Healso stresses the importance of making sureconsumers cook meat properly. Ontario Porksays pork should be cooked to an internal tem-perature of 70 C.

At the farm level, Salmonella can also be con-trolled by the feeding system used, saysFriendship. After comparing management styles

among sentinel herds, he found a lower preva-lence of Salmonella among herds using coarsefeed particles or liquid feeding systems (allowsfeed to ferment).

He adds that food-borne illness linked toYersinia could become a bigger industry con-cern in the future because the pathogen cangrow in cold temperatures, which are typicallynot favoured by most bacteria. This concernwill likely be tied to export pork productsbecause the pathogen could tolerate refrigera-tion during long-distance travel to foreigncountries. If not cooked thoroughly, the meatcontaining pathogens can cause gastrointestinal

Keeping tabs on animal diseaseprotects food safety,human healthBy Kim Waalderbos

University o

f Guelp

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Despite fierce competition, there seemsto be room for everyone to trade food on theglobal market, provided their food is consideredsafe. But sometimes it’s not. Ireland, for exam-ple, is renowned for its fine beef but struggleswith a unique situation — grazing cattle therehave been exposed to tuberculosis (TB), whichofficials say is largely spread by wild badgers.University of Guelph researchers have beenstudying the situation with Irish authorities,trying to make sense of it and assess the truelevel of danger.

Prof. Wayne Martin and doctoral studentFrancisco Olea-Popelka of the OntarioVeterinary College’s Department of PopulationMedicine have been working with Irish veteri-narians to control the spread of TB from badg-ers. Research has been ongoing since cattletuberculosis was seen in badgers in the 1970s. Inthe early 1990s, one area was cleared of badgersto see what would happen to TB levels in thecattle there. The levels dropped. More recently,this effort has been repeated in four other areas.

The researchers have been examining allaspects of the badger’s life, including eatinghabits, reproduction, settlement and familystructure, in concert with scientists from TrinityCollege and University College Dublin. They’vealso been investigating how badgers and cattleinteract and how TB goes from one to the other.

So far, they’ve discovered that the strain of TBfound in cattle is the same as that found inbadgers in the same area. But it’s not clear howit’s spread. It may be through water sources,through pastures grazed by the cattle that havebeen contaminated by the badgers or throughsome other route.

“We don’t know how the organism is spread,”says Martin. “Traditionally, it’s difficult to be

spread orally; it’s easier for it to be spread by res-piratory means.”

Although TB in cattle is a concern for the ani-mals, it’s not a serious human health risk, unlessyou’re in Ireland consuming unpasteurizedmilk, he says. That’s rare, however, and thenumber of cases of cattle TB infecting humansis low. Fewer than 100 people a year in Irelandget TB from all sources, he says. For other partsof the world such as Canada, there is virtuallyno health risk to humans.

The biggest limitation TB infection createsfor Irish farmers is related to trade, says Martin.Many countries won’t trade with a countrywhere TB is known to be an issue, and Irish beefis now barred from certain markets. In addition,the ongoing costs to control further spread arehigh.

The Irish are being proactive in their fightagainst TB, he says. They test millions of cattleannually to prevent a chronic situation fromarising and have found 20,000 to 30,000 cases ofthe disease each year.

Currently, there is no live TB vaccine avail-able for badgers, but researchers are activelyworking to create one. A successful vaccine cou-pled with management changes by farmers andbadger population control may keep this diseasecontained in the future.

This research is sponsored by the IrishDepartment of Food and Agriculture throughthe Centre for Veterinary Epidemiology andRisk Assessment at University College Dublin. A

disease similar to salmonellosis. Althoughyersiniosis is much less common than sal-monellosis, both have similar disease ratesfor cases that are directly attributed to porkconsumption.

Toxoplasma, which had been a concern inthe past, is no longer common in Ontarioswine, Friendship found. He says this is dueto increased modernization, the cleanlinessof barns and the reduced number of cats(which spread the disease). Cysts formed bythe parasite in human tissue can cause ill-ness in immune-compromised individualssuch as AIDS patients; they can also causebirth defects. This study shows that pigs arenow a very minor source of risk.

A new strain of influenza was found to beaffecting pigs in the sentinel herds.Friendship says the new strain, which is nota serious concern for humans, arrived inOntario in spring 2004. Within six months,it had spread to more than 50 per cent of theherds in the concentrated pig-rearing areaaround Stratford. Affected pigs show classicflu signs such as fever, cough, nasal dis-charge and sore muscles. Vaccines are avail-able for control.

Friendship says the sentinel herd pro-gram has been a valuable monitoring tool tounderstand disease patterns in Ontarioswine. He says it helps ensure the industry isup-to-date and can handle diseases basedon knowing if they’re becoming widespreador disappearing.

“It’s valuable to have herds like this tomonitor on a regular basis. It really givesyou a sense of the programs you have inplace and what more can be done to controldisease.”

Also involved in this project are Prof.Cate Dewey and graduate student ZvonimirPoljak of the Department of PopulationMedicine and technicians at the AnimalHealth Laboratory. This research is spon-sored by the Ontario Ministry ofAgriculture, Food and Rural Affairs,Ontario Pork and the Ontario Ministry ofHealth and Long-Term Care. A

Badgering cattle Researchers try to make sense of the connection among badgers, tuberculosis, Irish cattle By Kimberly McKenzie

The raccoon-sized burrowing badger is responsible for the spread of tuberculosis to cattle in Ireland,say researchers.

Wayne Martin

Swine across Ontario are beingregularly observed to track theprevalence of diseases linked tofood-borne illness.

1994_part1_m00.qxp 9/7/06 10:49 AM


It’s important to know our neighbours.And if 80 per cent of all animals are insects,then we’d better start getting acquainted.

Insects can tell us a lot about our environ-ment and its health. But before we can learnfrom them, it’s vital to know what they are andtheir role in the ecosystem. Prof. Steve Marshall,Environmental Biology, and his research teamhave been working to identify insects and addnew species to the University of Guelph’s insectcollection. They’re creating a baseline fromwhich to track species and document changes ininsect abundance and distribution.

“If you want to know what’s changing, youneed to know what’s there,” says Marshall.

The University of Guelph’s insect collection isthe oldest in Canada, dating back to 1863. Withmore than 1.5 million specimens, it ranks as thethird or fourth largest insect collection inCanada and the best collection of Ontarioinsects. It also features world species, includingone of the most important fly collections in theworld.

Guelph’s insect collection, which Marshalldubs a “dynamic database,” is always changingand growing under the watch of curatorMatthias Buck, Environmental Biology. It tracksan important story of how changes to easternNorth American biodiversity are reflected ininsect distributions.

Some changes occur naturally, but he believesa high proportion are caused directly or indi-rectly by humans. Extinction and extirpation(local extinction) of some of the species docu-mented in Guelph’s collection are related tomyriad factors, he says. The most important aredeliberately and accidentally introduced inva-sive species and habitat destruction throughchanging land use.

Marshall says these threats to biodiversityhave had far-reaching effects on insect popula-tions, some of which are reflected in the collec-tion. On the whole, however, insect faunaremain too poorly understood to properly doc-ument — or even detect — many of the ongo-ing changes to Canadian biodiversity. He notesthat a recent insect survey identified a largenumber of species that had never before beenrecorded in Canada.

Marshall focuses specifically on taxonomy,which includes identifying insects, studyinghow they’ve evolved and looking at wherethey’re distributed. These data can then be usedto answer questions about local biodiversity. Hebelieves as many as half of the insect species inCanada are not identifiable because there’s notenough taxonomic information available.

That said, he has successfully identified tensof thousands of specimens and discovered andformally named hundreds of species. A large

proportion of the species documented as new toCanada over the last decade were first recog-nized by Marshall and his students. A recentpaper on grasshoppers and their relatives, forexample, records nine grasshopper species newto Canada. Another paper on what scientists inthe discipline call “true” bugs (such as waterbugs and stink bugs) adds more than 30 newrecords. They’ve also recorded dozens of newflies, beetles, wasps and even bees, includingmany known for their potential economicimpact.

Marshall is the author of a new book calledInsects: Their Natural History and Diversity:With a Photographic Guide to Insects of EasternNorth America, which contains pictures of hun-dreds of insects not previously photographedand dozens never before recorded in Canada.He says the book represents a vanguard of a newtrend in invertebrate natural history.

“New collections of digital images like thosein this book will soon make previously uniden-tifiable groups, like most insects, accessible tostudents and naturalists for the first time.”

Expansion of Guelph’s insect collection isplanned, thanks to Canada Foundation forInnovation funding for the BiodiversityInstitute of Ontario. Marshall’s research is fund-ed by the Natural Sciences and EngineeringResearch Council of Canada. A

Insects: Indicators of a cBy Laura Kapteyn

Kyle R

od

riguez

1994_part1_m01.qxp 9/15/06 12:15 PM


changing environment

Identifying this creature and many others has intrigued environmental biology professor SteveMarshall (opposite).

Understanding insects and their role in the ecosystem can tell us a lot aboutour environment and its health, but first we need to be able to identify the

insects. Among those Guelph professor Steve Marshall is studying are (top)Oecanthus laricis (tamarack tree cricket), (bottom left) Banasa euchlora (green

stink bug) and Stiretrus anchorago (anchor stink bug).

Steve Marshall

1994_part1_m01.qxp 9/15/06 12:15 PM


Leptospirosis, a zoonotic infectionsometimes found in dogs, can also cause kidneydamage or liver failure in humans. And it’s re-emerging in Canada with a vengeance.Nationally, the number of reported cases hasgrown from fewer than 50 a year nearly a decadeago to more than 1,000 in 2005. That’s prompt-ing the scientific community, includingresearchers at the University of Guelph, toexamine the roots of the disease more closelyand determine to what extent it threatensCanadians.

Leptospirosis in dogs, caused by Leptospirabacteria, had been widely contained after anoutbreak and subsequent vaccination programstarted in the 1970s. But a dramatic spike inreported cases caused by different bacteria typesresistant to the vaccine began in dogs in the late1990s, increasing the threat of spread from dogsto humans in urban centres.

Prof. John Prescott, chair of the Departmentof Pathobiology, attributes the re-emergence ofleptospirosis in dogs primarily to raccoons,which are natural carriers of Leptospira. Astowns and cities sprawl into traditional ruralareas, raccoons are becoming increasinglyprevalent in urban neighbourhoods, he says,and leptospirosis seems to have become morewidespread in the animals.

Dogs are exposed to Leptospira bacteriathrough raccoon urine or urine-contaminatedwater. The higher proportion of diseased rac-coons, combined with an increasingly warmerclimate, makes a more hospitable environmentfor the bacteria. Most cases in dogs are seen inautumn, says Prescott, and over the last decade,this season has become both milder and wetter— conditions favoured by Leptospira.

When it comes to humans, however, they’remuch more likely to get leptospirosis from afriendly lick by an infected dog than from expo-sure to raccoon urine, he says. That’s becausethe bacteria can be transmitted from dog toowner through saliva. A number of people —mainly veterinary workers but also dog owners— are known to have contracted leptospirosisfrom dogs in Ontario in recent years.

A furry bandit striExcept this time, instead of invading the trash, it’s spreading disease to family pets

By Rebecca Moore

k

1994_part1_m01.qxp 9/15/06 12:16 PM


“In the 1970s, the type of leptospirosis seenwas transmitted from dogs to other dogs, so itwas easily controlled with vaccinations,” saysPrescott. “But these new strains are different.”

A vaccine is now available to protect dogsfrom the types of Leptospira carried by rac-coons. It’s not yet considered a core immuniza-tion for dogs, as rabies and distemper shots are,but it probably should be, he says. The veteri-nary community is considering whether to rec-ommend it as a core vaccine, along with othermeasures that reflect the gravity of the problem.

“This should be a reportable disease,” he says,“so when veterinarians diagnose it, they arerequired to report the finding to the publichealth sector.”

Prescott hopes that with each report, a briefinvestigation by public health officials wouldtake place to verify that no person has beeninfected. Currently, the majority of Leptospirainfections in humans are usually self-diagnosedafter people discover they’ve been in contactwith a dog that’s been diagnosed with the infec-tion. Because few physicians make the link topossible animal exposure or know about thedisease, most cases go undetected by health-careprofessionals. Increasing communicationbetween the human and animal health sectorswould help stem cross-species infections, hesays.

In the meantime, Prescott and otherresearchers, including Beverly McEwen of theAnimal Health Laboratory and Prof. PaulWoods of the Ontario Veterinary College’ssmall-animal clinic, are following the re-emer-gence. Prescott hopes to further analyze infor-mation that’s been collected to quantify the sus-ceptibility of certain canine breeds to lep-tospirosis and to gain more ground in deter-mining the disease’s prevalence.

This research is sponsored by OVC’s Pet TrustFund. A

ikes again

Researchers say raccoons are responsible for the re-emergence of a kidney and liver disease in dogs.

Dave Menke, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

1994_part1_m01.qxp 9/15/06 12:20 PM


Newseedsbringimprovedhealth andfood security By Patricia Dickenson

Hunger in Honduras is being alleviatedby farmers with new seed varieties developedthrough what’s called participatory breeding —the farmers themselves developing crops withthe traits they want.

For the past 13 years, Prof. Sally Humphries,director of the University of Guelph’s collabora-tive international development studies pro-gram, has been working in this CentralAmerican country with the Foundation forParticipatory Research for Hillside Farmers. It’sa non-governmental organization that helpsorganize and support farmer research teams.Humphries began collaborating with farmerresearchers while working for the InternationalCentre for Tropical Agriculture prior to herarrival at Guelph.

In 2000, USC-Canada began fundingHonduran farmer researchers through its Seedsof Survival program, which included supportfor participatory breeding. The project involvedplant breeding by farmers in four communitiesand led to two higher-yielding local maize vari-eties — Capulín Mejorado and Santa Cruz —and one improved local bean variety —Macuzalito.

The stature of the maize plants has beendecreased to prevent some of the wind damagecaused by hurricanes. And because the varietiesare being developed from local stock, they’rebetter suited to the environment and growingconditions than breeder-improved varieties.

Humphries says the breeding program hasbeen so successful — with a 23-per-cent yieldincrease in corn — that she believes local foodsecurity is within reach.

Historically, the hunger problem inHonduras has been caused by inequitable accessto land, leaving most farmers with tiny hillsideplots and crop yields that are too low during the

growing season to last through the entire dryseason. Crops can be grown only between Juneand November, during the rains. Food short-ages occur from June to August each year —known locally as “los junios” — when foodfrom the previous year is gone and new cropsaren’t yet available.

It’s these food shortages that lead to malnu-trition and cause the wide range of health-relat-ed problems facing rural Hondurans. In thecountryside, almost 48 per cent of children areaffected by malnourishment or height deficien-cy, compared with 29 per cent in urban areas.

The new seed is expected to lead to signifi-cant improvements in food security amonglocal farm families. Already, the families of thefarmer researchers, who use a variety of conser-vation practices in addition to locally improvedseed, have seen their hungry period reduced

from 5.5 weeks to 1.5 weeks. Farmer researchersare trying to scale up seed production, so thenew varieties can be used in other areas.Although they were developed for high eleva-tions in one region of Honduras, they’re beingtested for viability in other parts of the countrythrough a federation of farmer researchers.

“What’s so important about participatorybreeding methods is that farmers control theprocess themselves,” says Humphries. “Thisallows them to continually adapt their crops tochanging environmental and market condi-tions. Having this level of control is veryempowering.”

This approach to plant breeding is attractinginterest across Canada. Selecting for yield andsize on the farm could be used in organic farm-ing to create organic plant varieties withincreased yields and better plant health. A

Honduran farmers are working to alleviate hunger in their country by developing seedvarieties that will better thrive in local growing conditions.

Sally H

ump

hries

1994_part1_m00.qxp 9/7/06 10:50 AM


Food safety begins on the farm, longbefore meat, poultry, eggs and dairy productsfind their way to consumers. To ensure that ani-mal food sources are safe, healthy and disease-free, the University of Guelph’s Animal HealthLaboratory (AHL) stands vigil.

The lab is Ontario’s centre for animal healthtesting, the first line of protection in the foodproduction chain. Food-animal veterinariansfrom across the province submit more than30,000 samples to the lab for analysis every year,generating close to 700,000 tests.

AHL director Grant Maxie says the lab’s roleincludes protecting human health.

“Our mandate is to help keep food animals ashealthy as possible, so that they and their prod-ucts are fit for human consumption,” he says.“We consider it on-farm food safety.”

Samples received by the lab are tested for avariety of pathogenic microbes, heavy metalsand other toxins to ensure that food animals arein good health to produce meat, milk and eggsfor consumers. Maxie says rigorous testing hasbecome increasingly important with the currentattention being placed on zoonotic diseases(ones that can be transferred from animals tohumans).

Salmonella, for example, is an age-oldzoonotic agent and food-safety concern. Avianinfluenza, although not a concern from thefood-safety standpoint, has garnered muchmedia attention because of possible diseasetransmission from live birds.

To help ensure that outbreaks from a widerange of pathogens are quickly detected andcontained, the lab monitors test results for allsubmissions, says Maxie. If a reportable or noti-fiable condition is detected through testing, thelab notifies regulatory agencies.

“The lab takes the collected information andprovides the necessary data to governmentalorganizations,” he says. “We identify, confirmand alert the proper people.”

Among the key organizations that the labreports to are the Canadian Food InspectionAgency and the Ontario Ministry ofAgriculture, Food and Rural Affairs(OMAFRA). In addition to its fee-for-servicerevenue, the lab receives funding fromOMAFRA. A

Aneye on food safetyBy Rebecca Moore

Keeping a handle on food safety to protect public health means Grant

Maxie and his Animal HealthLaboratory conduct more than

700,000 tests each year.Kyle Rodriguez

1994_part1_m00.qxp 9/7/06 10:50 AM


Prompted by the spread of a deadly strainof avian influenza, University of Guelphresearchers — as part of the Canadian Co-oper-ative Wildlife Health Centre (CCWHC) — arehelping to design and implement surveillancesystems to monitor zoonotic diseases (ones thatcan be passed from animals to humans).

Two of the surveillance systems — Canada’sInter-Agency Wild Bird Influenza Survey andCanada’s West Nile Virus Surveillance Program— provide early detection of diseases in wildmigratory birds such as ducks, geese, eiders,terns and sandpipers, as well as crows, blue jaysand other species. CCWHC staff pathologistDoug Campbell says the information collectedin the studies will provide a realistic perspectiveof the risk to humans and domestic poultry, andwill help guide public health policy and educa-tion programs.

“The core of the centre and these programsinvolves both detecting disease and disseminat-ing reliable information to concerned groups,media, government and the public,” saysCampbell.

So far, researchers in the network have foundseveral strains of avian influenza in wild birds.Although prevalence varies provincially amongdifferent species, about 37 per cent of wild birdscarry some strain of avian influenza. The virus-es are non-deadly and are not transmitted frombird to human.

A new strain of avian influenza, H5N1, is dif-ferent. It can cause mortality in some birdspecies, and occasionally people who have asso-ciated closely with infected birds have becomeill and died. The virus, which originated in Asia,has spread to the Middle East and Europe.Although it has never been detected in NorthAmerica, researchers are concerned that wildbirds migrating from Europe could introducethe strain to Canadian flocks. Campbell says thesurveillance systems are monitoring potentialcarriers to determine whether foreign virusessuch as H5N1 can be transmitted duringtransatlantic migrations.

He says the centre’s studies also identify tox-ins and environmental pollutants that can affectwild and domestic animals. In addition, theymonitor disease outbreaks that could be devas-tating to rare or endangered bird species such asloggerhead shrikes and trumpeter swans.

Campbell, along with Katherine Welch andregional co-ordinator Prof. Ian Barker of the

Department of Pathobiology, belongs to theOntario-Nunavut regional centre, one of fiveCCWHC regional units. The units are located atCanada’s four veterinary colleges in Guelph,Charlottetown, P.E.I., Saint Hyacinthe, Que.,and Saskatoon, Sask., and at the Centre forCoastal Health in Nanaimo, B.C.

Although the surveillance systems are nation-al, more than a third of all Canadians live inOntario, making it one of the most likely areasfor human-wildlife interactions and often thefirst place zoonotic diseases occur, saysCampbell. The Guelph team investigateswildlife mortalities, cruelty cases and animalattacks on humans that occur in Ontario andNunavut.

Not many regions have the human resourcesto collect specimens, says Welch, so theCCWHC relies on concerned members of thepublic who report suspicious deaths.

“One of the first steps is to foster interest andpromote awareness of the services we provide,”she says.

Through research publications, seminars andpresentations to naturalist clubs and othergroups, the team is spreading knowledge aboutWest Nile and other wildlife diseases, and isproviding a source of information to help guideCanada’s preparation for the potential arrival ofH5N1 avian influenza.

This research is supported by EnvironmentCanada — Canadian Wildlife Services, theAtlantic Veterinary College, Faculté deMédecine Vétérinaire, the Ontario VeterinaryCollege, the Western College of VeterinaryMedicine, the Canadian Food InspectionAgency, the Canadian Wildlife Federation,Ducks Unlimited Canada, Fisheries and OceansCanada, Health Canada, the Max BellFoundation, Parks Canada, the Public HealthAgency of Canada, Syngenta Crop Protectionand the Canadian government’s 10 provincesand three territories. The CCWHC’s Ontariounit is also supported by the Ontario Ministryof Health and the Ontario Ministry of NaturalResources. A

National surveillance of wildlifedisease is co-ordinated effort By Heather Filby

Canadian geese andother migratory birdsare being monitoredfor disease through

two Canada-wide surveillance programs.

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1994_part1_m02.qxp 9/18/06 2:02 PM

RESEARCH Fall 2006 28the Nature of Health

Visitwww.c-ciarn.uoguelph.ca to learn moreabout how climate change is affectingagriculture and how the Canadian ClimateImpacts and Adaptation ResearchNetwork is bringing researchers togetherto develop better adaptation strategies.

Viewwww.ciat.cgiar.org for updates on theInternational Centre for TropicalAgriculture and researchers’ efforts toreduce hunger and poverty in developingand underdeveloped countries.

Visithttp://wildlife1.usask.ca to learn more about how veterinarians at theCanadian Co-operative Wildlife HealthCentre are improving wildlife health andconservation methods.

ReadInsects: Their Natural History andDiversity (Firefly Books, 2006) to see more than 4,000 photographs of eastern North American insects, alongwith descriptions of their habitat and his-tory.

Visitwww.gftc.ca to catch the latest foodindustry news and events from food sci-entists at the Guelph Food TechnologyCentre.

Visitwww.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/ index_e.html foradvice on how to meet your nutritionalneeds using Canada’s Food Guide.

Checkwww.cancer.ca to learn more about ovari-an cancer and the advances being madein cancer prevention research.

Visitwww.mithe-rn.org/mite_rn to find whatresearchers from the Metals in theEnvironment Research Network areuncovering about the effects of metals onenvironmental and human health.

Visitwww.phac-aspc.gc.ca/pau-uap/paguide/child_youth/index.html for ideasabout helping young people stay healthyand active using Canada’s PhysicalActivity Guide.

For furtherreading

RESEARCH IN RETROSPECT

Functionalfoods: Longtime coming,here to stayBy Kim Waalderbos

Today’s interest in functional foods — those that offer health benefits beyond basichuman nutrition — was preceded by more than a decade of research at Guelph. Back then,interest was shared by only a few, including scientists studying how to boost milk, an alreadynutrient-rich food.

In the fall 1998 Research magazine, Prof. Brian McBride and graduate student Tom Wright,Department of Animal and Poultry Science, along with nutritional sciences professor BruceHolub, were profiled about their work enriching cow’s milk with an omega-3 fatty acid calleddocosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

DHA was known as an essential nutrient that contributed to the optimal development ofthe brain, eye and nervous system. Despite these benefits, food sources of DNA were tradi-

tionally limited to fish and fish oils.Knowing this, the Guelph researchers embarkedon a program to develop a special animal feedsupplement using fish meal that, when fed tocows, could enrich their milk.

Over the years, the researchers fine-tunedthat supplement and built on their ability to

successfully feed the diet to cows and ben-eficially enrich the milk produced.

The years of research and develop-ment efforts culminated in April 2004with the commercial launch of DHA-enhanced milk by a major dairy,Neilson’s. The product called Dairy

Oh! caught on with consumers better thananticipated and is now a staple on store shelves. It haspropelled omega-3 products to become the third

largest value-added milk segment (after filtered andlactose-free). Dairy-Oh! represents 90 per cent of

omega-3 product sales only two years after its launch andis the fastest-growing milk segment with 20-per-cent volume

growth.Having seen the process through from its inception,

McBride says it’s “very gratifying to developsomething from idea creation to market-place that contributes to the health ofCanadians.” A

Brian Fray

1994_part2_m02.qxp 9/18/06 2:15 PM Page 25

29 RESEARCH Fall 2006 the Nature of Health

U of G researchers are working to bet-ter understand how exercise and adrenalin canburn fat and help curb the growing epidemic ofobesity and type 2 diabetes in Canada.

“The beautiful thing about exercise,” saysProf. Lawrence Spriet, Human Health andNutritional Sciences,“is that it helps muscles getbetter at using fat.”

Spriet is looking at the metabolic reasons whypeople become overweight and how extraweight can lead to type 2 diabetes. He’s takingmuscle samples from three groups of middle-aged men (obese, type 2 diabetics and lean) toobserve what’s happening inside their musclesand to understand how the body uses fat andcarbohydrates.

“The advantage of our research is that we areactually taking measurements inside the mus-cles,” says Spriet. “Less invasive techniques areless accurate.”

Healthy people readily metabolize fat andcarbohydrates into energy, but type 2 diabeticsdo not, he says. They become resistant toinsulin, which prevents the body from usingglucose or sugar, the basic fuel of cells.Normally, insulin helps take glucose from theblood and feeds it to the cells, but in diabetics,glucose accumulates in the blood. Over the longterm, excessive sugar can hurt the eyes, kidneys,nerves and heart, and cause excessive thirst,hunger, urination and fatigue.

Unable to use sugar, cells must rely on fat forenergy (taking it from the blood). But this isalso a flawed process in diabetics, says Spriet,because the fat accumulates in muscle.

An associated fat burner in muscle tissue isthe enzyme hormone-sensitive lipase, whichhelps unlock the fat that is stored in the musclefor fuel. He is conducting eight-week cyclingprograms to test how lipase is affected by exer-cise. Moderate exercise or adrenalin usuallyturns it on, but inactivity — common to obesepeople or type 2 diabetics — turns the fat-burn-ing enzyme off. Through his research, Spriethopes to prove moderate exercise will activatethe lipase enzyme, promoting active living.

Also involved in this research were RebeccaTunstall and Jane Rutherford, Department ofHuman Health and Nutritional Sciences.Funding has been provided by the CanadianInstitutes of Health Research. A

Exercise can help curb obesity, type 2 diabetesBy Kayla Duffield

Exercise can help curb obesity andtype 2 diabetes, say University ofGuelph researchers.

Kyle R

od

riguez

1994_part2_m01.qxp 9/15/06 12:38 PM Page 24


Here’s another reason why dogsdeserve best-friend status: They could providenew information about diagnosing and treatingepilepsy.

Epilepsy, a neurological condition affectingthe nervous system, is found in dogs andhumans. Prof. Roberto Poma, a veterinary neu-rologist at the Ontario Veterinary College, says abetter understanding of canine epilepsy mayhelp with treating the condition in humans.

“In a clinical setting, we often jump fromclinical symptoms to treatment of epilepsy,” saysPoma. “What we’re looking at is the informa-tion missing in the middle, which will help uscharacterize epileptic syndromes in dogs andhopefully provide valuable support to investi-gate human epilepsy.”

He and his research team hope to character-ize specific breed-related epilepsy syndromesand compare them with human epilepsies. Evenwithin dog breeds, seizure type and neurologi-cal signs vary. Understanding these variations isimportant for proper diagnosis and treatment,he says.

The pilot study involves three commonbreeds suffering from canine idiopathic epilep-sy (having no known cause for the disease): thegolden retriever, Australian shepherd and NovaScotia duck tolling retriever.

To characterize conditions properly, Pomauses the following diagnostic tests on each dog.He begins by gathering information on thedog’s history and performing a neurologicalexamination. A magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) of the brain is performed to rule out pri-mary abnormalities. He also conducts elec-troencephalography (EEG) to investigate brainelectrical activity in epileptic dogs. For this, heuses two types of equipment — a routine EEGsystem for patients in hospital and an ambula-tory system adapted for dogs in their homeenvironment.

Because most dogs suffering from idiopathic

epilepsy tend to have seizures at night — andoften only in their home environment — usingthe ambulatory technique will allow researchersto monitor patients more precisely, Poma says.

Both EEG systems can be synchronized withvideo monitoring to help compare the clinicalsymptoms observed with abnormal brain elec-trical activity experienced by the dog during aseizure. For example, if the dog has recurrent“twitching” of the left front limb during aseizure, the EEG may display abnormal epilep-tic “spikes” in the right part of the brain.

Canine epilepsy often results in frustratingoutcomes because dogs can be resistant to con-ventional treatment with antiepileptic drugs.An alternative research treatment called tran-scranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is cur-rently available at OVC. Non-invasive and pain-less, it uses magnetic stimuli to influence brainelectrical activity and reduce the likelihood of aseizure occurring. It is paired with sophisticatedimaging software called Brainsight, whichreconstructs a 3-D image of the dog’s brainfrom the MRI and helps guide the placement ofmagnetic stimulation to target the affectedepileptic site.

TMS has been widely used for treatinghuman neurological conditions such as depres-sion, mood disorders, Parkinson’s disease,Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia and epilepsy.

Poma hopes to further link his findings togenes in dogs and humans. He plans to use hisimproved understanding of the disease to locateabnormal genes and map the causes of epilepsy.He’ll be working with Dr. Berge Minassian, aneurologist, epileptologist and geneticist atToronto’s Hospital for Sick Children.

Also involved in this study are graduate stu-dent Fiona James of the Department of ClinicalStudies and epilepsy researcher John Ives of theUniversity of Western Ontario.

This work is sponsored by the CanadaFoundation for Innovation. A

bp

eat epilepsytreat humans

Veterinary neurologist Prof. Roberto Poma and neurology technician JenniferCollins are finding new information about diagnosing and treating epilepsy indogs that they hope can be applied to humans with the condition.

Kyle Rodriguez

1994_part2_m01.qxp 9/15/06 12:39 PM Page 23


Working to bResearch at the Ontario Veterinary College could helpBy Alicia Roberts

et

1994_part2_m00.qxp 9/7/06 11:48 AM Page 22


Estrogen and androgen, two commongroups of hormones, are known for their effectson the human reproductive tract. But Guelphresearchers say they may have another functionin the human body — in the brain.

Prof. Neil MacLusky, chair of the Departmentof Biomedical Sciences, says estrogen andandrogen may help improve memory andsynapse formation (the bridges between nervesthat enable movements and responses tooccur), warding off diseases such asAlzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other forms ofdementia.

“It turns out that androgens and estrogensare important to maintaining the health of thebrain,” he says, “and they have a huge impact onsynapse formation and memory.”

Recent research has found that estrogen andandrogen enhance brain function by improvingsynapse formation in the hippocampus, an areaof the human brain that is important for com-mitting experiences to memory. These hor-mones decrease naturally with age, and this maybe a contributing factor to age-related mentaldegeneration, MacLusky says.

He notes that maintaining mental health isbecoming a primary concern for the publichealth sector. Among his research projects, he isstudying the potential of natural estrogensources to reduce the impact of hormone defi-ciency-related aging.

His timing couldn’t be better. One in 10 peo-ple over the age of 65 and nearly half of thoseaged 85 or older have Alzheimer’s disease. Thesituation represents a potentially serious publichealth risk as life expectancy continues to rise.

“With the increasing likelihood of neurologi-cal problems as we age, we are potentially look-ing at a public health nightmare,” saysMacLusky. “It would prove to be a terrible bur-

den on families, caregivers and the public healthsystem if we don’t find solutions.”

In one project, he and a team of researchersat Toronto’s Sunnybrook Health SciencesCentre are studying the impact of using estro-gen therapy on aging women who are beginningto show symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Early resultslook promising, and the team hopes to shedlight on the potential of hormone therapy toreverse or at least slow some mental degenera-tion.

Using hormone therapy to tap into the per-ceived benefits of estrogens and androgens isnot simple, says MacLusky. Because most cur-rently used hormone therapies have more thanone effect, patients hoping to gain a mental edgemay also run the risk of developing cancer andother health consequences. But these problemsmay be overcome because of the potential fordeveloping more specific hormone therapies,capable of triggering synapse formation in thebrain without other adverse effects.

The estrogens present in soybeans, the so-called phytoestrogens, represent one possibleexample. Initially, these estrogens were thoughtto have minimal impact on the human bodybecause the receptor that allows estrogen totrigger synapse formation was unknown . . .until now. MacLusky’s research is finding that,at least in animals, low doses of phytoestrogenhave a major impact on synapse formation inthe brain, without stimulating undesiredgrowth responses elsewhere in the body.

The next step is to identify the exact compo-sition of this hormone receptor. Then it will beeasier to determine what hormones may be bestsuited for brain health, he says.

His research is funded by the CanadianInstitutes for Health Research and the U.S.National Institutes of Health. A

Giving thebrain a boostResearch ties hormones to increased synaptic function

By Rebecca Moore

Prof. Neil MacLusky, Department of BiomedicalSciences, is studying how two common groups ofhormones can boost brain function and memory.

Kyle Rodriguez

1994_part2_m00.qxp 9/7/06 11:48 AM Page 21


Thinking

bigThe expanding field of neuroscience at Guelph

By Rebecca Moore

Neuroscience at the University of Guelph isgrowing by leaps and bounds, thanks to theaddition of five new neuroscientists in the lastfour years, including Prof. Neil MacLusky, chairof the Department of Biomedical Sciences. Theadditions have enhanced Guelph’s researchbreadth and are the beginning of somethingmuch bigger, MacLusky says.

Plans call for ultimately developing a full neu-roscience major at Guelph, building on uniqueopportunities and resources for neurosciencethrough ties among the College of BiologicalScience, the Department of Psychology and theOntario Veterinary College (OVC).

“Many health problems that are seen in ani-mals will have a direct spinoff in human health,”says MacLusky. “Having an affiliation with OVCis good for neuroscience and many otherresearch areas because it provides access to ani-mal research that can provide unique insightinto human health.”

Prof. John Armstrong, a new faculty memberin the Department of Biomedical Sciences,exemplifies the connection between OVC andhuman health. Working out of U of G’s Institutefor Animal-Human Links in Health ScienceResearch, he is studying the effect that disruptedneurons have on behaviour and learning. Theinstitute will promote collaborative researchthroughout the biomedical sciences sector.

“The addition of neuroscientists at Guelphrepresents a positive change for the neurosciencecommunity,” says MacLusky.

1994_part2_m00.qxp 9/7/06 11:48 AM Page 20


The most aggressive and lethal form ofcancer among women — ovarian cancer — isbeing targeted by a biomedical scientist at theUniversity of Guelph.

Prof. Jim Petrik is working to gain a betterunderstanding of how ovarian tumours developand grow. His research could ultimatelyenhance treatment.

Ovarian cancer is a poorly understood dis-ease. It can present itself as a number of differ-ent types of afflictions, making it difficult todetect. Better understanding its cause and howtumours grow is the first step in developingeffective treatment plans, says Petrik.

“Anything that can be done to improve treat-ment outcomes will have a significant impact

on the length and quality of life for those indi-viduals suffering from this disease.”

Specifically, he’s studying the use of a mole-cule called thrombospondin to prevent the for-mation of blood vessels that supply blood tocancer tumours in ovaries. His research couldpotentially lead to the development of powerfultherapies to combat or prevent the disease.

The next step is to study angiogenesis — thegrowth of new blood vessels — and its role inregulating ovarian tumour formation, saysPetrik. An angiogenesis inhibitor is derivedfrom a protein produced in the body and couldbe a safer treatment option than some tradi-tional chemotherapy, he says.

PhD student Jim Greenaway has been a vital

part of the project’s success, says Petrik.Greenaway has generated an animal model ofthe disease that spontaneously develops ovariantumours in a fashion similar to how the humandisease progresses.

Others involved in this research include Prof.Roger Moorehead of the Department ofBiomedical Sciences and Dr. Jack Lawler ofHarvard University’s Department of Medicineand the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. A

Guelph researchers tackle ovarian cancerBy Mitch Ritter

Biomedical sciencesprofessor Jim Petrik (left)and PhD student JimGreenaway are observingcell cultures to betterunderstand how ovariancancer cells develop andgrow so they can enhancetreatment.

Kyle Rodriguez

1994_part2_m01.qxp 9/15/06 4:42 PM Page 19


Some 40,000 Canadians are living withspinal cord injury (SCI), and another 1,000 areadded to the list each year. Medical advance-ments are ensuring that more and more peoplesurvive the trauma that caused their SCI, butthe ensuing years bring a whole new range ofhealth concerns.

Because of decreased mobility, those withSCI are up to four times more likely to develop

type 2 diabetes, have an increased risk of coro-nary heart disease and suffer from higher ratesof obesity than the able-bodied populationdoes.

Dealing with these emerging health problemsis no small task. There are no guidelines forproper exercise, diet or weight indexes for peo-ple with SCI, even though the mortality ratefrom obesity and cardiovascular disease is high-

er among this demographic.Prof. Andrea Buchholz, Family Relations and

Applied Nutrition, is among a small group ofpioneering scientists working to ensure that SCIpatients have adequate guidelines for properdiet and exercise as a proactive measure againstillness.

“People living with SCI have a metabolismthat is very different than that of able-bodiedindividuals,” says Buchholz, “and yet the currentdietary and exercise interventions for peoplewith SCI are the same as those for people with-out.”

She is co-investigator on a study that aims toimprove the quality and longevity of life forpeople with SCI by determining the prevalenceof risk factors for chronic illnesses, how muchexercise is required for maximum impact todecrease these risk factors, and how diet figuresinto the equation. Along with primary investi-gator Kathleen Martin-Ginis of McMasterUniversity, Buchholz hopes to produce guide-lines for dietitians and physiotherapists toensure that people living with SCI are proac-tively working to prevent chronic health prob-lems such as coronary heart disease.

Buchholz is also the primary investigator ona study looking at the impact of visceral fat —fat found deep inside the belly — on the risk oflong-term health problems for those with SCI.

Funding for the joint study betweenMcMaster University and the University ofGuelph is provided by the Canadian Institutesof Health Research. The visceral fat study is sup-ported by the Canadian Foundation for DieteticResearch. A

Preventing chronic illness after spinalcord injuryBy Rebecca Moore

Kyle Rodriguez

Prof. Andrea Buchholz measuresthe waist circumference of spinalcord injury research participantCyndy McLean. This informationis used to help determinelifestyle interventions that canreduce the risk of obesity-relatedconditions in people recoveringfrom spinal cord injuries.

1994_part2_m00.qxp 9/7/06 11:48 AM Page 18


Magazines: Where most people get their information about nutrition

A 2005 study conducted byUniversity of Montreal researchersin conjunction with Dietitians ofCanada found that Canadiansreceive their nutritional informa-tion from a variety of sources.

Of those surveyed, almost halfreported looking to magazines forinformation about nutrition.Others cited books (42 per cent)and food labels (37 per cent).Respondents also said they use theInternet and brochures for specifichealth topics.

Study participants said theywere most confident about thenutritional information comingfrom dietitians (88 per cent),physicians (61 per cent) and thegovernment (53 per cent).

Kyle R

od

riguez

1994_part2_m00.qxp 9/7/06 11:48 AM Page 17


Canada’s primary health-care systemis changing. It’s still mostly based on reactivemeasures to treat disease, but $800 million infederal funds has been spent to promote thetransition to interdisciplinary primary healthcare. The goal is to establish effective communi-ty-based primary health-care systems.

Dietitians — professionals who work in thehealth and food sectors to identify issues andsolve problems in nutrition and diet — will be apart of these new systems. Prof. Paula Brauer,Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, andher colleagues have invested the past two yearsin developing an integrated primary health-caremodel that places dietitians right in the doctor’soffice.

In the past, dietitians have been employedlargely in hospitals, private clinics, the food-service industry, education and research.Having dietitians in family physician offices willgive them a more direct role in early and diag-nostic health management, says Brauer.

“This will help patients navigate through thewealth of generalized health and nutritioninformation that’s available through traditionalchannels such as magazines and the Internet,and help them receive specific informationregarding their personal health-care issues.”

This model differs from the referral-basedsystem currently in place. Brauer believes theintegrated model is especially relevant to peoplewho have complicated health issues that featurea variety of symptoms. This is often the case inthe baby boom generation, where the incidenceof diabetes and other health problems related todiet and nutrition is on the rise.

“It’s all about personalizing and individualiz-ing advice pertinent to that patient’s health-careissues,” she says.

The integrated model has been tested as apilot project in Family Health Networks inKingston, Parry Sound and Stratford, Ont., withan overwhelmingly positive response. In onesurvey, a doctor said the registered dietitian was“a very valuable addition to our services.Treatment for obesity and cholesterol issues isvitally important and the patients loved havingthis accessibility. Given the high proportion ofour population with obesity, this kind of earlyattention is critical to reducing future burden tothe health-care system.”

This is good news for Brauer, who expectsgreat things from this kind of program inremote areas and city centres alike.

“I’m very excited about the results of thisproject. It provides a good basis on which toevaluate the model. Now all we need is thepolitical will to create the services that need tobe there.”

Brauer and her colleagues are planning anumber of conference presentations on the suc-cesses of the pilot project and will include a sup-plement to the Canadian Journal of DieteticPractice and Research this fall. Several peer-reviewed articles are also in the works.

Other collaborators involved in the projectwere Linda Dietrich, regional executive directorof Dietitians of Canada in Toronto, and JuliaWitt, Melbourne Institute of Economic andSocial Research.

The project was funded by the OntarioPrimary Health Care Transition Fund. A

Dietitians at fore of health-care reformBy Megan Nuttall

Prof. Paula Brauer, Department of FamilyRelations and Applied Nutrition, saysCanada’s primary health-care system

is changing to include dietitians on the front lines, to help with early and

diagnostic health management.

1994_part2_m03.qxp 9/21/06 2:02 PM Page 16


Taking aload offNew food science technologies could reduce cell stress

By Alicia Roberts

People with chronic fatigue syndrome(CFS), a degenerative disease that attacks cellsin the small intestine, may soon get help fromsmall protein particles called phosphopeptidesfound in milk and eggs.

Prof. Yoshinori Mine of the Department ofFood Science is leading researchers in usingadvanced food technologies to hone in on theability of a particular peptide to reduce degen-erative diseases such as CFS.

Mine says certain peptides in foods may reactwith genes in the body to reduce the stress oncells, warding off degeneration. Typically thesepeptides are inactive, but when they’re digestedin the body or exposed to enzymes in the lab,they become active and can have various func-tions, he says. They can be antioxidants, reduce

hypertension, influence immunity and havehormone-like functions.

“We’re looking at food not just as a way tosatisfy an appetite or for traditional nutrients,”he says. “We’re looking at how such bioactivepeptides are released from foods and how cer-tain components of foods react with genes tobring out specific health benefits.”

Mine says degenerative health problems suchas CFS are caused by stress. Through the humanbody’s natural processes, this stress develops incells. That makes them unstable, leads to degra-dation and accelerated aging and complicatesvarious chronic diseases.

Normally, cells can detoxify themselves with abuilt-in antioxidant called glutathione (GSH).But when factors such as excessive alcohol con-sumption and smoking enter the picture, GSHis less effective. That leads to degenerativehealth problems.

Mine and his team have found that a peptidein eggs and milk has the ability to help reducethe stress load. They’re studying its interactionsthrough two food science approaches: nutrige-nomics and proteomics.

The nutrigenomic approach helps the teamunderstand the peptide’s interactions at a genet-ic level. So far, they’ve found it can influence aspecific gene to synthesize GSH, ultimatelyhelping to fight stress. Mine says he’s now tryingto understand how and why this occurs.

In the proteomic approach, the focus is onthe specific characteristics of the peptide andwhy it has the ability to react with genes.

The team is studying pigs with CFS to learnmore about the peptide’s effects on cellularstress. Through tissue and blood samples, theresearchers can compare the peptide’s influence.

Mine’s goal is to better understand why peo-ple have CFS, to improve diagnosis and to offerpreventive and treatment measures using thepeptide. He says the peptide could be used indeveloping specific health foods with anti-oxidative stress qualities or to make supple-ments that could help expel stress.

This research is part of an interdisciplinaryapproach involving research knowledge fromacross Canada through the Advanced Foodsand Materials Network. It brings togetherresearchers to combine and compare knowledgeto study various aspects of food and biomateri-als. Natural scientists, engineers, healthresearchers, social scientists and many otherprofessionals are involved in the network, whichis headquartered in Guelph.

Also involved in this research are U of G pro-fessors Ming Fan of the Department of Animaland Poultry Science and Gordon Kirby of theDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, Universityof Toronto nutritional scientist Ahmed ElSohemy and Rong Cao of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. A

1994_part2_m00.qxp 9/7/06 11:48 AM Page 15


Knowing the nutritional content ofwhat you’re eating has been made easier by newnutrition labelling regulations developed byHealth Canada. As of last December, most foodproducts sold in Canada require a label that dis-plays a standardized table listing amounts of the13 core nutrients as well as calories.

This means consumers no longer have to dealwith labelling that is selective or difficult tounderstand. If they know how to read one label,they’ll know how to read them all. That shouldmake it easier to compare products, managespecial diets and control the intake of specificnutrients.

“Everything is in the same format, so peoplecan pick up any product and see what they’reeating,” says Judy Stuart, senior applied researchscientist at the Guelph Food Technology Centre.

The 13 nutrients that must be listed in thetable are fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol,sodium, carbohydrates, fibre, sugar, protein,vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and iron. Besides

the specific quantity, the percentage of the rec-ommended daily intake for some nutrientsmust also be listed, based on the stated servingsize. Excluded from the requirements are freshfoods such as fruits, vegetables and raw meat, aswell as products such as water that haveinsignificant amounts of the 13 core nutrients.

Stuart says consumers should be aware that,despite the regulations, all labels won’t look thesame. If the amounts of seven or more of the 13nutrients are zero, then a simplified table can beused. This table lists calories and amounts offat, carbohydrate and protein plus any non-zeronutrient, and includes the statement “not a sig-nificant source of” the other nutrients.

Several optional nutrients may also be listed,such as potassium, zinc and omega-6 fattyacids.

Food manufacturers may choose to includenutritional and health claims on their product.Nutritional claims state the relative amount of anutrient (such as high or low), whereas health

claims associate a diet containing high or lowamounts of a particular nutrient with a possiblereduction in the risk of a disease. (An exampleof a health claim is: “A healthy diet containingfoods high in potassium and low in sodium mayreduce the risk of high blood pressure, a riskfactor for stroke and heart disease.”)

Both types of claims are subject to strictnutritional requirements in the food, and exactwording must be used.

Stuart notes that although the table providesgood information, it’s up to the consumer tomake a healthy choice. People are still responsi-ble for knowing which nutrients they need toconsume more of and which they should notoverindulge in, she says.

For more information about nutrition labelling,visit: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/label-etiquet/ nutrition/index_e.html. A

Labels that make senseFederal guidelines take guesswork out of nutritional value

By Jonathan Chambers

Food products in Canada sport new nutrition labels that will be easier to understand and compare using the standardized table that lists amounts of the 13 core nutrients as well as calories.

Dave P

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Elevated instances of heart disease, hyperten-sion, gall bladder disease, type 2 diabetes andsome cancers are among the serious health risksassociated with being overweight and obese.

Winson argues that one of the leading causesof the alarming rise in these health problems isthe dominance of “pseudo foods” in the mar-ketplace. He uses the term to encompass what ispopularly considered “junk food” — candy barsand salty snacks — but also any high-calorieand high-fat foods and beverages that have lownutritional value. This includes anything that

lists sugar or fat as its first ingredient, such ascertain fruit beverages, soft drinks, ice creamtreats and presweetened breakfast cereals.

“Junk food is convenient,” says Winson.“People are urged to snack 24 hours a day bypowerful ad campaigns of junk food and bever-age corporations, yet they are getting heavierand don’t understand why.”

He says retailers are also accountable for thiseasy access to unhealthy foods. Pseudo foodscommand more profit for retailers, whichexplains their prominence in the supermarket.

Winson’s study of grocery stores found thatconsiderable shelf space is devoted to pseudofoods, and “differential profits” determine prod-uct location in stores. Low-profit commodityitems such as milk and eggs end up in the backof the store, requiring shoppers to walk past dis-turbing numbers of flashy displays and aisles ofpseudo foods to get the essentials, he says. Thatgreatly increases the chance that some of thesehigher-profit items will also end up in their cart.

He notes that profit is also a driving factorbehind the easy availability of pseudo foods inthe Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge andGuelph high schools he surveyed. Educationcutbacks have forced schools to seek their ownfunding, and most have used vending machinesor school cafeterias as a way to get more dollarsfrom their students’ pockets.

Soft drinks, industrial baked goods (cookies,muffins, etc.), high-sugar snacks and high-fatfoods such as french fries are the most com-monly sold items in the schools he surveyed.Most cafeterias reported that they sell only fouror five pieces of fruit per week. This offers someinsight into why the number of overweight chil-dren and adolescents has nearly doubled andtripled over the past two decades.

Winson found that one high school hadalready taken steps to alleviate this problem bybanning soft drinks and replacing them withhealthier items. A few other schools were mak-ing an effort to provide healthier cafeteria fare.But he believes it will take more to really curbrising obesity among young people.

“Society needs to invest massively in effectiveeducation to shift people’s attitudes aboutunhealthy eating,” he says. “And we need tomove quickly and pretty aggressively.”

Also involved in this project were studentsMaxine Fung, Christopher Valiquet and RebeccaStranberg. Funding was provided by theUniversity’s research assistantship program. A

o ds are causing real problems

“Foodscapes” dominated by low-nutrition,high-calorie foods are in part responsiblefor the North American obesity epidemic,says University of Guelph sociology pro-fessor Tony Winson.

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Location, location, location. The key to alucrative business or real estate sale may also bethe cause of Canadians’ expanding waistlines,says a University of Guelph researcher who’sbeen studying the link between the food land-scape or “foodscape” and Canada’s obesity epi-demic.

Prof. Tony Winson, Sociology andAnthropology, says a foodscape is any physicallocation where consumers buy or consumefood. Looking specifically at supermarkets andpublic high schools in the Kitchener-Waterloo,

Cambridge and Guelph, Ont., area, he is findingthat much of the food that’s readily available inthese environments is a direct contributor to theincreasingly unhealthy diets of Canadians.

“There are massive amounts of low-nutritionfood everywhere,” he says. “There needs to be arealization that the health outcomes of poor eat-ing are so horrendous that they will overwhelmus if not taken under control.”

These outcomes stretch far beyond the obesi-ty issue itself, which the World HealthOrganization has called a “global epidemic.”

Pseudo foo consumersBy Jennifer Christie

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Kyle Rodriguez

Fruits such as these held by Prof. Gopi Paliyath may contain compounds to helpprevent and reduce the growth of cancer cells.

“Let food be thy medicine and medicinebe thy food,” said Hippocrates, the father ofancient medicine. Today, research at theUniversity of Guelph supports what was saidmore than 2,000 years ago: Food such as fruit isgood food and good medicine. In fact, Canada’sfruit crops may contain compounds to help pre-vent breast cancer cells from forming.

Prof. Gopi Paliyath, Plant Agriculture, hasused compounds contained in grape extracts toreduce the growth of cancer cells. He saysthey’re also effective in reducing certain breastcancer cell growth in mouse models.

“Increased fruit and vegetable intake has longbeen known to reduce the risk of developingcancer, but now we’re seeing the power of fruitextracts to help stop cancer cells from growing.”

Paliyath’s research has focused on the effectsof flavonoid compounds contained in grapesand other fruits on cancer cells. Flavonoids arethe brightly coloured plant pigments found infruits and vegetables.

Preliminary tests have been encouraging, hesays. In laboratory trials, flavonoids extractedfrom grape juice and wine have shown free-rad-ical scavenging capacities similar to those foundin well-known antioxidants vitamins C and E.

Antioxidants are important in cancer preven-tion because they absorb naturally occurringfree radicals that are responsible for the geneticmutations that cause cancer to form.

Paliyath’s research has looked at the antioxi-dant ability of extracts from grapes and cher-ries. Identifying specific compounds that are the

most effective antioxidants — and finding outwhat fruits and vegetables contain them — isthe first step in delivering food that hasimproved disease prevention properties, hesays.

“The success of experiments done in vitrohas been very promising.”

Trials are under way to see if the same bene-fits of these compounds persist in live animals.If the trials are successful, Paliyath plans toselect the trees or plants that produce fruit withthe highest flavonoid content to promote fruitconsumption.

This research is sponsored by the NaturalSciences and Engineering Research Council andthe Breast Cancer Society of Canada. A

The key to preventionCancer incidence may be reduced by eating common fruits

By Brian Innes

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Coffee is a morning “must” for many,but new research suggests we should fill ourcups with decaffeinated java for better health.

Prof. Terry Graham of the Department ofHuman Health and Nutritional Sciences sayscaffeine, a component of coffee, reducesinsulin’s effectiveness in humans. But he doesacknowledge that coffee has a number of bene-fits, most notably its antioxidant properties.

So he has a suggestion: go decaf.“Decaffeinated coffee provides the best of

both worlds,” says Graham. “It gives you thebenefits of coffee without the health concerns ofcaffeine.”

Reduced insulin effectiveness is a worryingfinding for those who already have compro-mised insulin systems, such as obese people andthose diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Recently,there’s been a dramatic rise in the number ofconsumable products with high caffeine levels.Some energy drinks, for example, contain up to80 milligrams of caffeine per eight ounces.Some brands of caffeinated water contain 100mg (“lite” variety) or 200 mg (“extreme”) per

16-ounce bottle. Compare that with the averagecup of coffee, which has 65 to 135 mg of caf-feine, depending on strength and style of brew-ing.

Health Canada suggests that the general pop-ulation of healthy adults consume no more than400 to 450 mg of caffeine per day, the equivalentof about three cups of coffee. The problem withenergy drinks is that many people don’t realizehow much caffeine they’re consuming, Grahamsays.

He notes that the effects of consuming caf-feine in the morning compound as the day goeson. His research found that caffeinated coffeeconsumed at breakfast had drastic effects oninsulin levels produced after lunch. The elevat-ed insulin level caused by breakfast lingered, notreturning to the person’s normal resting levelbefore the second meal was consumed. Thiseffect was found in all subjects, but was moreprolific in those exhibiting insulin resistance.

“The most surprising results of all were thegreat increases in insulin levels that were seenafter the second meal was consumed,” says

Graham. “The results were more dramatic thanwe had expected.”

Caffeinated coffee is not the only exotic com-ponent of consumer diets that is worrisome, headds. An extract similar to caffeine from theSouth American guarana bean is making its wayinto consumer products and growing in popu-larity because of unproven claims that it can aidin weight loss. Guarana beans contain aboutthree times more caffeine than coffee beans do,says Graham, and the extract is being used in avariety of beverages. Although many of theseproducts are currently limited to the U.S. mar-ket, some are making their way into Canada, hesays, and consumers should be aware of theireffects.

Collaborators in this project include Prof.Lindsay Robinson and graduate studentsDanielle Battram, Lesley Moisey and SitaKacker, Department of Human Health andNutritional Sciences. Funding was provided bythe Natural Sciences and Engineering ResearchCouncil of Canada. A

Kick the caffeine, not the coffeeBy Katie Cheesmond

Kick the caffeine and opt fordecaffeinated java the next

time you fill up. A Guelphresearcher says it’s the best

route to get the benefits ofcoffee without the health

concerns of caffeine.

Arthur Churchyard

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Canadians consume more trans fatsthan people in most other countries do — asmuch as 20 grams a day. Although ingestingtrans fats won’t kill a person instantly, says Prof.Bruce Holub of the Department of HumanHealth and Nutritional Sciences, a steady diet ofthem can cause serious health problems, includ-ing premature heart disease.

Holub, who’s studied trans fats and theirhealth risks for 28 years, says eating partiallyhydrogenated oils, particularly in fast foods, hasresulted in high daily trans fat intakes forCanadians.

“Our diets, as typically consumed, don’t pro-vide for healthy eating,” he says. “They contain aheavy intake of partially hydrogenated soybeanand canola oils in foods that have been labelled‘cholesterol-free’ or ‘low in saturated fat,’ imply-ing that they’re safe to eat but not showing thewhole picture.”

Most trans fats are unnatural unsaturatedfats. They’re created through a process calledhydrogenation that chemically converts plant-based oils to solid or semi-solid fats. The tech-nique is widely used by food manufacturers toincrease a fat’s melting point and shelf life, mak-ing it better suited for baking and food process-ing. But hydrogenation can raise the trans fatcontent of a solidified oil to the point that it

constitutes 40 to 50 per cent of the total fat content.

Holub says a whopping 90 per cent of thetrans fats we consume come from variousprocessed and fast foods cooked or made withpartially hydrogenated oils. Numerous snackfoods and breaded chicken and fish are particu-larly laden with trans fats in this way.

The other 10 per cent of trans fats come nat-urally through products from ruminant ani-mals such as dairy and beef cattle. These ani-mals have tiny organisms called microflora intheir gut that convert natural unsaturated fatfrom the food they ingest to trans fats, whichthey pass on through milk and beef products insmall amounts.

Trans fats increase the amount of “bad” (low-density lipoprotein or LDL) cholesterol in theblood, while decreasing the amount of “good”(high-density lipoprotein or HDL) cholesterol,says Holub. The bad cholesterol winds throughthe circulatory system and can block passages inthe heart. Other major health concerns relatedto trans fats include increased risk for type 2diabetes. In pregnant women, consuming foodshigh in trans fat can compromise the amount ofessential omega-3 fatty acids passed to theinfant in the womb and through breastfeeding.

The Canadian government has already taken

steps to reduce trans fat consumption by intro-ducing mandatory labelling on products. Underthe new rules, a food product can be called transfat-free, but only if it contains less than 0.2grams of trans fats per serving.

Although high-trans fat products still exist,more companies are lowering the trans fat content of their products and using it as a marketing tool, says Holub.

Ottawa has also created a task force to makerecommendations on how to lower trans fats incertain foods. One year into its mandate, thetask force is advising a limit on trans fat contentas a percentage of the total fat in margarine,processed foods and fast foods.

“We’re always looking to improve themethodology and measuring tools for transfats,” says Holub. “We’ve got a good start, butthere’s still a long way to go. A complete ban onthe production of industrial trans fats woulddramatically reduce our intake of these harmfulfats.” A

‘Trans’ CanadaAs a country, we are eating too much bad fat, says researcher

By Katie Savage and Alicia Roberts

Foods made with partially hydrogenated oils con-tribute a whopping 90 per cent of the trans fats weconsume and can lead to serious health problems,says a Guelph human health and nutritional scien-tist.

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Functional foods — food products thatoffer health benefits beyond basic human nutri-tion — can help Ontarians’ health and theOntario budget.

So says John Kelly, executive director ofMaRS Landing, an organization linking agricul-ture, food and human health through researchand product development in the province.

“Functional foods have an opportunity tomake a dent in the Ontario budget,” says Kelly,who notes that more than 50 per cent of provin-cial tax dollars are spent on the health system.That figure could be reduced with functionalfoods, a preventive approach to health care, hesays.

Research is under way at many places, includ-ing the University of Guelph, to enhance foodproducts. For example, Guelph researchersenhanced milk with an omega-3 fatty acidcalled docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) by feeding

cows a proprietary mixture that included fishmeal. Once consumed, the DHA naturallyfound in the fish meal gets passed to the cows’milk. DHA helps prevent cardiovascular diseaseand improves brain function, among otherhealth benefits. This technology developmentled to the Dairy Oh! brand of milk now foundat the grocery store.

Kelly says markets are cropping up for foodproducts that yield positive health effects. Theysell for premium prices, but unlike what hap-pens with many value-added products, func-tional food premiums can be spread through-out the food value chain from producer to con-sumer, so that everyone shares in the financialprofits and consumers get the health benefits.

Identifying functional foods is much less of aproblem than labelling them. The regulatoryprocess that oversees health claims on productsisn’t well understood and can be long and diffi-

cult, says Kelly. In fact, it can be a deterrent toencouraging new functional food development.

“We have to ensure that regulations don’ttake away competitiveness or stifle innovation,”he says.

Although Canada’s regulations allow only thesafest products to hit grocery shelves, theapproval process is the longest among all majordeveloped nations, says Kelly. It’s important thatonly the safest products reach consumers, hesays, but a painfully slow regulatory process canhurt the country’s competitiveness.Competitors are able to release products soonerinto the marketplace, putting Canadian pro-ducers at a disadvantage long before their prod-ucts hit the market. That’s contrary to what ittakes to improve Ontarians’ health and opti-mize health-care spending, he says. A

Functional foods:Therapy for thehealth-care systemBy Robert Godin

Functional foods, those that offer healthbenefits beyond basic human nutrition,

are catching the eye of consumers.

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MaRS Landing: Accelerating technologydevelopment and commercialization

By Kim Waalderbos

The health and agri-food innovation communities are being helped by aGuelph-based group to combine resources so new technologies andresearch can be brought to the marketplace.

MaRS Landing links innovators from rural Ontario with those in theDiscovery District in downtown Toronto. The Discovery District housesToronto’s best in science and business, including university and hospitalprofessionals, all in one area. The linkage of agriculture and food to the

health sector has substantial benefits for the economy.John Kelly, executive director of MaRS Landing, says the connections

enable experts to optimize facilities and resources to improve capabilitiesof their own organization; give greater access to legal, financial and regulatory assistance; and facilitate communication and research collaborations.

MaRS Landing is a joint project of the University of Guelph, the City ofGuelph, Ontario Agri-Food Technologies and the MaRS DiscoveryDistrict in Toronto. Funding has been provided in part by Agriculture andAgri-Food Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food andRural Affairs under the Agricultural Policy Framework, an agreementamong federal, provincial and territorial governments to make Canada’sagricultural sector a world leader in science and innovation. The office ishoused in the U of G Research Park.

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The egg may have come first for omega-3-enriched poultry products, but now the chicken isn’t farbehind.

Prof. Steve Leeson of the University of Guelph’sDepartment of Animal and Poultry Science has alreadyenriched eggs with omega-3 fatty acids and is now lead-ing an effort to do the same with poultry meat. He’sidentifying various poultry feed combinations that canbe fed to chickens to add heart-healthy fatty acids to theanimals’ meat, while also keeping it tasty.

“We’ve shown it’s possible to feed poultry omega-3fatty acids and have the nutrients expressed in the meat,”says Leeson. “Now our challenge is to help farmers pro-duce this enriched meat efficiently, while maintainingquality taste.”

He’s found that poultry become sufficiently enrichedwith omega-3 fatty acids after 10 to 14 days on a flaxseeddiet. At this stage, the nutrients build up in the body fatand, once present, are constantly reused in cycles forgrowth and energy.

One of the omega-3 fatty acids stored in the fat layeris docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Leeson calls DHA the“super fat” because of its many health benefits. DHA isknown to improve human visual and learning abilities,boost immune function and relieve symptoms of somepsychological disorders and inflammatory diseases.

Until now, the only way to get enough DHA was toconsume a diet rich in oily fish. Researchers found thatadding fish oil to poultry feed gives humans who con-sume the poultry an alternative DHA source.

Leeson predicts a market for nutrient-enhanced poul-try meat in sales of whole chickens (the kind used forroasting). Unlike most meat cuts, which are too lean tostore enough fatty acids, whole chickens contain muchof the original fat content, which is where DHA andother omega-3 fatty acids are stored.

Whether or not consumers notice a difference in tasteremains to be seen. Because the highest DHA concentra-tions are found in fish, some people characterize theenriched meat flavour as “fishy.” Leeson is now balanc-ing the amount of omega-3 and DHA fatty acids in theenriched meat to make sure its enhanced nutritive qual-ity doesn’t interfere with taste.

This research is sponsored by the Ontario Ministry ofAgriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. A


Omega-3chicken about tohatchPoultry meat enriched with flax and fish oil diets offers extra health benefits

By Arthur Churchyard

Chickens could help bring beneficial omega-3 nutrients to a table near you.

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Volume XXI, Number 1Research, University of Guelph, Fall 2006

A PUBLICATION TO PROMOTE DIALOGUE, UNDERSTANDING AND COMMUNICATIONABOUT RESEARCH ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH

FOCUS: PUBLIC HEALTH

Vice-President (Research)Alan Wildeman

Acting Associate Vice-President (Research and International Relations)Anthony Clarke

Executive EditorRobert Jacobs

EditorOwen Roberts

Associate Editor and Project Co-ordinatorKim Waalderbos

Copy EditorBarbara Chance

DesignJnD Marketing

Advertising and MarketingMarianne Clark and Lilian Schaer

Financial ManagementDave Reinhart

Address correspondence to:Owen Roberts, Director of Research CommunicationsOffice of Research, Room 437E, University CentreUniversity of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1Phone: 519-824-4120, Ext. 58278 E-mail: [email protected]

To advertise in Research, contact:Lilian Schaer, Research Communications and Marketing OfficerOffice of Research, Room 437, University CentreUniversity of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1Phone: 519-824-4120, Ext. 53781E-mail: [email protected]

University of Guelph student research-writing initiatives are supported by these sponsors:

Founding sponsor: Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited4-H OntarioAdFarmAdvanced Foods and Materials NetworkAgricultural Adaptation CouncilDr. George AtkinsBetter FarmingCanadian Network of Toxicology CentresCountry Guide OntarioDairy Farmers of OntarioGreenhouse CanadaGROWMARK Inc.Guelph MercuryMaple Leaf Foods InternationalMonsanto CanadaOntario Agri-Food TechnologiesOntario Cattlemen’s AssociationOntario Institute of AgrologistsOntario Farmer publicationsOntario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural AffairsOntario PorkOntario Soil and Crop Improvement AssociationOntario Soybean GrowersOntario Wheat Producers' Marketing BoardRothsaySeCanSoy 20/20Syngenta Crop Protection Canada

Publications Mail Agreement Number 1652575

Please return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:Room 437, University Centre, University of GuelphGuelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1

Printed at the Lowe-Martin Group, September 2006, ISSN 0841-9493

Visit the University of Guelph research website:www.uoguelph.ca/research


A dual reflectionon health and natureResearchers at the University ofGuelph have a lot to say about healthand they have a lot to say aboutnature. And so they should. Healthand nature — or well-being and theenvironment — are heady words.They embrace a broad spectrum ofthings that matter most to people,such as minimizing the likelihood orimpact of adverse health, or doingthings that help us understand andtake care of the world around us. Inso many ways, these words are alsointimately linked.

The Roman god Janus had a dou-ble-faced head, with each face lookingoutward in opposite directions. He was noted as being the god of gatesand doors, the god of beginnings and endings. He was heralded atimportant transitions in people’s lives when they reflect on the past andlook forward, such as harvest time, marriage and birth. He also came torepresent the transition between primitive living and civility, betweenrural and city life, between war and peace, and between youth and age.While each member of these various dualities is distinctive from itspartner, they are all different faces of the same existence.

This issue of the University of Guelph’s Research magazine is a dualreflection on health and nature. From one side, you will read aboutwhat Guelph researchers are doing to learn more about the nature ofhealth. From cancer research to studies of infectious diseases and ani-mal health, new discoveries are being made about the mechanismsunderlying diseases and new research on how to stay healthy is underway. From the other side, you will read about health and nature. Youwill find stories about research being done to help us understand thenatural world around us, and how the health of that world and our ownhealth are linked.

The format is in the tradition of Janus, because when we use theword health, there are literally at least two sides to every story. This isnot two issues of the Research magazine merely stapled together.Rather, this issue provides you with two perspectives on health and theworld we live in and on research being done at the University of Guelphto help us understand their relationships.

Each of us in our lifetime will deal with transitions in health andnature. At our university, there is a history of doing things that are rel-evant to the health and well-being of people, communities and theenvironment. This issue highlights how, in a world with more peoplethan ever before and an environment under greater stress, this traditionis continuing through world-class research that becomes more relevantand needed with each passing year.

Alan WildemanVice-President (Research)

Alan Wildeman

LET’S START HERE

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Enriched poultry meat offers extra health benefits 48

Functional foods: Therapy for the health-care system 47

Canadians are eating too much trans fat 44

Kick the caffeine, not the coffee 43

Eat fruit, reduce cancer 42

Pseudo foods causing consumers trouble 41

Mystery gone from nutritional value 39

Technologies take stress off cells 38

Dietitians at fore of health-care reform 37

Preventing chronic illness after spinal cord injury 35

Guelph researchers tackle ovarian cancer 34

Giving the brain a boost 32

Working to beat epilepsy 31

Exercise can help curb obesity, type 2 diabetes 29

Research in retrospect and additional references 28

Meet the Research contributors 27

Cover photo by Kyle Rodriguez

48

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ContentsFall 2006 Issue, Volume XXI, Number 1

the Nature of Health


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We’re helping farmers to tread lightly on the land. As good stewards of the land,

Canadian farmers know the value of sustainable agriculture. They ensure the land they farm is properly cared for so that

they can farm it responsibly for future generations. At Syngenta, we will continue to support sustainable agriculture by

committing to both innovative research and environmental initiatives.

For more information visit www.syngenta.com

1994_part2_m00.qxp 9/7/06 11:47 AM Page 2

Epilepsy research bondsProf. Roberto Poma andhis teaching assistantdog, Salsa, at the OntarioVeterinary College.See page 31.

INSIDE: PSEUDO FOODS • KICKING CAFFEINE • CURBING OBESITY

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health nature

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