Nutrition Conversations

There is a rapidly evolving area of nutrition research that is changing how we think about preconception health. Conversations about pregnancy nutrition have traditionally focused on mothers, however, growing evidence suggests that a father's nutrition and lifestyle before conception may also influence fertility, pregnancy outcomes, and the long-term health of his children.
Dr. Kozeta Miliku is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto. Her research examines how nutrition during critical periods of development, from preconception through childhood and adolescence, shapes lifelong cardiometabolic health. A major focus of her research is understanding the role of paternal nutrition and health before conception and expanding the traditional maternal-focused framework of preconception health toward one that recognizes the contributions of both parents.
Dr. Miliku is also the Clinical Science Officer of the CHILD Cohort Study, one of Canada’s largest prospective birth cohort studies. She trained as a physician at the Medical University of Tirana in Albania and received her PhD in Clinical Epidemiology from Erasmus University Medical Centre in the Netherlands. Her research brings together nutrition, epidemiology, and the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease framework to identify opportunities for preventing chronic disease as early as possible in the life course.
In this episode, Dr. Miliku discusses the emerging science of paternal nutrition: why fathers contribute more than DNA, what we know about the potential biological pathways linking paternal health to offspring health, where important gaps in the evidence remain, and why the future of preconception care may need to include both parents.

Nutrition research is advancing rapidly, yet translating evidence into meaningful improvements in health remains a complex challenge. How do scientific discoveries become policies, programs, and practices that improve health, and what role do nutrition professionals play in making that happen? Dr. Fiona Wallace is the founder and principal consultant of Nutrition Opportunities Worldwide, where she supports NGOs, governments, and organizations in translating nutrition science into policy and practice. Her clients have included UNICEF, GAIN, Helen Keller International, CARE Malawi, and the SUN Business Network. Dr. Wallace earned her BSc in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Toronto, followed by an MSc in Human Nutrition, a PhD in Nutrition and Immune Function, an MBA, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Food Law in the United Kingdom. She began her career in nutrition research and development at GlaxoSmithKline before holding senior scientific, regulatory, and nutrition communications roles withNestlé and Bayer. Today, Dr. Wallace works across academia, industry, and global health to advance evidence-informed nutrition initiatives. She also serves on the American Society for Nutrition's Global Nutrition Council and is a founding member and past president of the University of Toronto's Department of Nutritional Sciences Alumni Association. In this episode, Dr. Wallace discusses what it takes to move nutrition science beyond publications and into policies, programs, products, and practices that improve health around the world.

La nutrition sociale est un domaine émergent qui va au-delà des choix alimentaires individuels pour comprendre comment les facteurs sociaux, économiques, culturels et environnementaux influencent la façon dont les gens mangent et leur état de santé. Cette approche reconnaît que la nutrition n’est pas seulement une question de biologie, mais aussi d’accès, d’inégalités, de vie familiale, de soutien communautaire et de politiques publiques. Dre Bénédicte Fontaine-Bisson est diététiste professionnelle et professeure agrégée à l’École des sciences de la nutrition de l’Université d’Ottawa. Elle a obtenu un doctorat en sciences de la nutrition avec une spécialisation en nutrigénétique à l’Université de Toronto, avant de compléter un stage postdoctoral en épidémiologie génétique à l’INSERM à Paris. Ses recherches portent principalement sur la nutrition sociale périnatale, la santé maternelle et infantile, l’insécurité alimentaire et les interventions communautaires visant à réduire les inégalités en santé. Dans cet épisode, Dre Fontaine-Bisson discute la nutrition sociale, en explorant les liens entre la nutrition, la santé maternelle et infantile, l’insécurité alimentaire et le soutien aux populations vulnérables au Canada. This podcast was recorded in French

There’s growing interest in using genetic information to guide nutrition, alongside ongoing discussion about the strength of the evidence and its practical applications. As the field evolves, it’s raising important questions about how best to translate science into meaningful recommendations. Dr. Ahmed El-Sohemy is a Professor and Associate Chair at the University of Toronto and held a Canada Research Chair in Nutrigenomics. He is also the Founder of Nutrigenomix Inc. and Chair’s the company’s International Science Advisory Board. Dr. El-Sohemy obtained his PhD from the University of Toronto and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard. He has over 200 peer-reviewed publications and has given more than 400 invited talks around the world. The goal of his research program is to identify genetic markers that predict response to various dietary factors on a variety of health and performance outcomes. Dr. El-Sohemy has served on Health Canada’s Scientific Advisory Board and several international expert advisory panels. He is also the recipient of several awards for research excellence by the Canadian Nutrition Society, the American College of Nutrition, and the American Nutrition Association. In this episode, Dr. El Sohemy discusses the role of genetics in shaping how we respond to food and the evolving field of personalized nutrition.

Few nutrition topics have generated as much heat—and as little clarity—as seed oils. They are often blamed for inflammation, chronic disease, and poor metabolic health, yet they are also some of the most studied fats in human nutrition. Dr. Jessie Burns is a clinical scientist and consultant with a PhD in Human Health and Nutritional Sciences from the University of Guelph, where her doctoral research focused on dietary fatty acids, inflammation, and chronic disease prevention. She also completed postdoctoral training in clinical women’s health research at Carleton University before transitioning from academia into a non-academic career in clinical science and evidence-based medicine. In her current roles, she collaborates with clinicians, industry partners, researchers, and health organizations to review, appraise, and synthesize complex scientific evidence for clinical guidance, knowledge translation, and education. Though she has formally left academia, she continues to collaborate with academic researchers on projects related to dietary fats and women’s health. In this episode, Dr. Burns discusses the role of seed oils on our health, challenge common fears, and distinguish evidence-based facts from social media misinformation.