Dr. Thomas Wolever
Principal Scientist and Medical DirectorDr. Wolever obtained a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from Oxford University, UK in 1980, a PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Toronto in 1986 and a Doctorate in Medicine from Oxford University in 1993. He is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Nutritional Sciences and the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto and is a Member of Active Medical Staff within the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.
Dr. Wolever’s research interests centre on the effects of dietary carbohydrates on human physiology and metabolism. Perhaps best known for his work on the glycaemic index, which was as first developed by Dr. David Jenkins and Dr. Wolever in 1981, he has written or co-authored over 340 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and also authored a book entitled: The Glycaemic Index: A Physiological Classification of Dietary Carbohydrate.
In 1997, Dr. Wolever co-founded Glycaemic Index Testing, Inc. to provide confidential GI testing services to industry. In order to cope with the increased demand for GI testing and to provide a wider range of clinical research services, Glycemic Index Laboratories, Inc. was formed in 2004. Dr. Wolever serves as Principal Scientist and Medical Director of INQUIS Clinical Research.
Dr. Wolever is married with 3 children and enjoys orienteering, cycling and playing the recorder.
Wolever TMS. Total fibre vs types and sources of fibre in subjects with and without diabetes: Role of molecular weight and viscosity. Bioactive Carbohydrates and Dietary Fibre. 2023;29:100349. doi: 10.1016/j.bcdf.2023.100349.
Noronha JC, Zurbau A, Wolever TMS. The importance of molecular weight in determining the minimum dose of oat β-glucan required to reduce the glycaemic response in healthy subjects without diabetes: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2023 Mar;77(3):308-315. doi: 10.1038/s41430-022-01176-5. Epub 2022 Jun 29. PMID: 35768556; PMCID: PMC10017511.
Wolever TMS, Jenkins AL, Campbell JE, et al. Decreasing the RAG:SAG ratio of granola cereal predictably reduces postprandial glucose and insulin responses: a report of four randomised trials in healthy adults. J Nutr Sci. 2022;11:e21. Published 2022 Mar 17. doi:10.1017/jns.2022.22
Wolever TMS, Rahn M, Dioum E, et al. An Oat β-Glucan Beverage Reduces LDL Cholesterol and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Men and Women with Borderline High Cholesterol: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial. J Nutr. 2021;151(9):2655-2666. doi:10.1093/jn/nxab154
Wolever TMS, Rahn M, Dioum EH, et al. Effect of Oat β-Glucan on Affective and Physical Feeling States in Healthy Adults: Evidence for Reduced Headache, Fatigue, Anxiety and Limb/Joint Pains. Nutrients. 2021;13(5):1534. Published 2021 May 1. doi:10.3390/nu13051534
Doma KM, Dolinar KF, Dan Ramdath D, Wolever TMS, Duncan AM. Canned Beans Decrease Serum Total and LDL Cholesterol in Adults with Elevated LDL Cholesterol in a 4-wk Multicenter, Randomized, Crossover Study. J Nutr. 2021 Dec 3;151(12):3701-3709. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxab323. PMID: 34642756.
Livesey G, Taylor R, Livesey HF, Jenkins DJA, Wolever TMS, et al. Dietary Glycemic Index and Load and the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Assessment of Causal Relations. Nutrients 2019, 11(6), 1436. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11061436
Wolever TMS, Meynier A, Jenkins AL, Brand-Miller JC, Atkinson FS, Gendre D, Leuillet S, Cazaubiel M, Housez B, Vinoy S. Glycemic Index and Insulinemic Index of Foods: An Interlaboratory Study Using the ISO 2010 Method. Nutrients 2019 Sep 13;11(9). doi 10.3390/nu11092218.
Wolever TMS, Jenkins AL, Yang J, et al. An Optimized, Slowly Digested Savory Cluster Reduced Postprandial Glucose and Insulin Responses in Healthy Human Subjects. Current Developments in Nutrition. 2019;3(3). doi:10.1093/cdn/nzz006.
Wolever TMS, Jones PJH, JenkinsAL, Mollard RC, Wang H, Johnston A, Johnson J, Chu Y. Glycaemic and insulinaemic impact of oats soaked overnight in milk vs. cream of rice with and without sugar, nuts and seeds: a randomized, controlled trial. Eur J Clin Nutr 2019;73:86-93
Wolever TMS, Jenkins AL, Prudence K, Johnson J, Duss R, Chu Y, Steinert RE. Effect of adding oat bran to instant oatmeal on glycaemic response in humans – a study to establish the minimum effective dose of oat β-glucan. Food Funct 2018;9:1692-700. DOI: 10.1039/c7fo01768e.
Wolever TMS, Chiasson J-L, Josse RG, Leiter LA, Maheux P, Rabasa-Lhoret R, Rodger NW, Ryan EA. Effects of changing the amount and source of dietary carbohydrates on symptoms and dietary satisfaction over a 1-year period in subjects with type 2 diabetes: Canadian trial of carbohydrates in diabetes (CCD). Can J Diab 2017;41:164-76.
Jenkins DJA, Wolever TMS, Taylor RH, Barker HM, Fielden H, Baldwin JM, Bowling AC, Newman HC, Jenkins AL, Goff DV. Glycemic index of foods: a physiological basis for carbohydrate exchange. Am J Clin Nutr 1981;34:362-66.
Gourineni V, Stewart ML, Skorge R, Wolever T. Glycemic Index of Slowly Digestible Carbohydrate Alone and in Powdered Drink-Mix. Nutrients. 2019 May 29;11(6):1228. doi: 10.3390/nu11061228. PMID: 31146493; PMCID: PMC6627922.
Wolever TMS, Mattila O, Rosa-Sibakov N, Tosh SM, Jenkins AL, Ezatagha A, Duss R, Steinert RE. Effect of Varying Molecular Weight of Oat β-Glucan Taken just before Eating on Postprandial Glycemic Response in Healthy Humans. Nutrients. 2020 Jul 29;12(8):2275. doi: 10.3390/nu12082275. PMID: 32751269; PMCID: PMC7469033.