Andrea Buchholz, PhD, RD

Professor, Applied Human Nutrition
Department of Family Relations & Applied Nutrition
Email: 
abuchhol@uoguelph.ca
Phone number: 
519-824-4120, ext 52347
Office: 
Dept Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph, Room 235 Macdonald Institute, Guelph ON Canada, N1G 2W1
Lab: 
Body Composition Lab, Rooms 285-287, Food Science Addition and HHNS Annex

 

 

About my research

As a Registered Dietitian and the Director of the University of Guelph Body Composition Lab, I am interested in the associations between lifestyle habits, body composition and cardiometabolic risk in families with young children.  I am a co-investigator of the Guelph Family Health Study (http://www.guelphfamilyhealthstudy.com) and the Family Stress Study (https://www.famstress.com/).

Accepting graduate students in Fall 2024: Yes (1-2 MSc students)

Teaching:

Fall 2023:

  • NUTR*4810: Applied Nutrition thesis I (2 students)
  • NUTR*4910: Applied Nutrition thesis II (1 student)
  • Otherwise, I am on research leave

Winter 2024: 

  • NUTR*1020: Professional Practice in Applied Nutrition
  • NUTR*4900: Selected Topics in Human Nutrition (with a focus on clinical nutrition)
  • NUTR*4910: Applied Nutrition thesis II (2 students)

When not professing, I am ...
...a comedic improviser.

...an aspiring tap dancer.

  • Post-doctoral fellow - University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2004
  • Post-doctoral fellow - Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 2003
  • PhD (Nutritional Sciences) - University of Toronto, 2002                                                                                                                     
  • Dietetic internship:  Hamilton Health Sciences, 1995
  • MSc (Applied Human Nutrition) - University of Guelph, 1994
  • B.A.A. (Foods and Nutrition), Toronto Metropolitan University, 1992

                    

(*denotes student collaboration): 

*Sheremeta J, Duncan AM, Darlington G, Ma DWL, Haines J, Newton G, Buchholz AC.  Cheese intake is inversely associated with LDL cholesterol in young children.  Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research, 2022;May 3:1-4. 

*Hruska V, *Ambrose V, Darlington G, Ma DWL, Haines J, Buchholz AC.  Stress is associated with adiposity in parents of preschoolers.  Obesity. 2020;28(3):655-659.

*Krystia O, *Ambrose T, Darlington G, Ma DWL, Buchholz AC, Haines J. Guelph Family Health Study. A randomized home-based childhood obesity-prevention intervention has favourable long-term effects on parental body composition: Guelph Family Health Study.  BMC Obesity.  2019;6(10):1-9

 

 

I collaborate with Dr. David Ma and Dr. Jess Haines and other researchers at the University of Guelph on the Guelph Family Health Study (http://www.guelphfamilyhealthstudy.com), and at McMaster University on the Family Stress Study (https://www.famstress.com/).  I also collaborate with Dr. Jonathan Wells of the Childhood Nutrition Research Centre at the Institute of Child Health in London, England.

Current (F23)

  • Nicole Hendriks (MSc-AHN student): Cross-sectional associations between dairy-derived saturated fat intake and inflammation and cardiometabolic risk in parents and children 
  • Hillary Lo (fourth year AHN student): Cross-sectional associations between dairy-derived saturated fat intake and body composition in young children 
  • Sarah Ribey (fourth year AHN student): Cross-sectional associations between sleep and body composition in toddlers
  • Yinuo Yang (fourth year AHN student):  Use of bioelectrical impedance analysis to assess fat mass of young children enrolled at baseline in the Guelph Family Health Study

 

I am interested in investigating the following in families with young children.  Do any of these topics catch your eye?  If so, please email me!

  • Plant-based diets, body weight and body composition in parents (Guelph Family Health Study)
  • Intake of ultra-processed foods and cardiometabolic risk in children (Guelph Family Health Study)
  • How clusters of lifestyle behaviours (sleep, diet quality, total physical activity, etc.) are associated with body composition in children (Guelph Family Health Study and Family Stress Study)
  • Use of bioelectrical impedance analysis to assess fat mass of young children enrolled at 6 month and 1-year visits in the Guelph Family Health Study
  • Fat mass index (FMI) and cardiometabolic health of preschoolers (Guelph Family Health Study)
  • I am also interested in associations between lifestyle habits and fat-free mass index (FFMI) in children (Guelph Family Health Study).  Got an idea to explore this?  Reach out!