Dalia El Khoury

About

Dr. Dalia El Khoury is an Associate Professor of Applied Human Nutrition and Associate Chair in the Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition at the University of Guelph, Canada. She has received a BSc in Nutrition and Dietetics and an MSc in Nutrition at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. Afterward, she completed her PhD in Physiology and Physiopathology at the University of Pierre et Marie Curie, France.

She served as a lecturer at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, and as a postdoctoral fellow and lecturer at the University of Toronto, Canada. Dr. El Khoury has also worked in the private sector, joining Mead Johnson Nutrition (pediatric nutrition), while based in Ottawa (Canada) and Evansville (Indiana, USA), as Senior Scientist in Global Regulatory and Nutrition Science for approximately two years. Dr. El Khoury is a Registered Dietitian in Canada, and a Licensed Dietitian in Lebanon.

In addition to being a member of several journals’ editorial boards, she serves as a reviewer on national and international journals and committees including the prestigious CIHR Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship selection committee. Dr. El Khoury is also a consultant in scientific health affairs; she has assumed a variety of consultancy roles with the industry as well as professional organizations.

As an academic, Dr. El Khoury has primarily explored the role of functional ingredients/foods in the regulation of appetite, food intake, glycemia and metabolism in healthy individuals and individuals with nutrition-related disorders including overweight/obesity, hyperinsulinemia, and the metabolic syndrome, in three institutions in 3 different countries. Another research interest was sports nutrition.

At the University of Guelph, she is working on three lines of research: 1) exploring novel biomarkers for the metabolic syndrome, and their modulation by functional foods and/or physical activity, both in pediatric and adult populations; 2) investigating the prevalence and psychosocial determinants of dietary supplement use in different populations at risk, and designing nutrition education programs to improve knowledge, attitude and awareness on dietary supplements in these populations; and 3) assessing intake, knowledge and attitude with respect to global food trends such as the plant-based diet and the gluten-free diet.

Education

• Registered Dietitian – College of Dietitians of Ontario (2018)
• Postdoctoral Fellow - University of Toronto, Canada (2014)
• PhD (Physiology and Physiopathology) - University of Pierre et Marie Curie, France (2008)
• Licensed Dietitian by the Lebanese Ministry of Health for Dietetic Practice (2006)
• MSc (Nutrition) – American University of Beirut, Lebanon (2005)
• Dietetic Internship – American University of Beirut Medical Center, Lebanon (2003)
• BSc (Nutrition and Dietetics) – American University of Beirut, Lebanon (2002)

Courses Taught

• FRAN*6610 Advances in Clinical Nutrition
• NUTR*4010 Nutritional Assessment
• NUTR*3090 Clinical Nutrition I
• NUTR*2050*DE Nutrition in the Community
• NUTR*1010 Introduction to Nutrition
• NUTR*1010*DE Introduction to Nutrition
• NUTR*4900 Selected Topics in Human Nutrition

Recent Publications

Darla Paola M. Barssé, Gerarda Darlington, Hannah Coyle-Asbil, Becky Breau, Lori Ann Vallis, Dalia El Khoury, Jess Haines, David W.L. Ma, Andrea C. Buchholz. 2025. Cross-sectional associations between anthropometric measures and cardiometabolic risk factors among young children. Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research. 1-4.

Jana Daher, Margo Mountjoy, Dalia El Khoury. 2025. An Online Nutrition Education Program Targeting Intentions and Related Determinants Towards Dietary Supplement Use: An Application of The Theory of Planned Behavior. Nutrients. 17(3): 557. 

Jana Daher, Margo Mountjoy, Dalia El Khoury. 2024. The Effectiveness of an Online Nutrition Education Program on Varsity Athletes' Nutritional & Dietary Supplement Knowledge. Nutrients. 17(1): 44.

Seyedeh Yasaman Ghazitabatabai, Manahil Zaid, Laura Forbes, Adam Davies, Ben Klassen, Nathan Lachowsky, Dalia El Khoury. 2024. Patterns of Dietary Supplement Use Among GBT2Q Men and Non-Binary Individuals in Canada. Nutrients. 16(16): 2678.

Siyu Liu, Dalia El Khoury, Iris J Joye. 2023. Gluten-free product recalls and their impact on consumer trust. Nutrients. 15(19): 4170.

Moriah Mallick, Chloe Briana Camacho, Jana Daher, Dalia El Khoury. 2023. Dietary Supplements: A Gateway to Doping? Nutrients. 15(4): 881.

Jana Daher, Moriah Mallick, Dalia El Khoury. 2022. Prevalence of Dietary Supplement Use Among Athletes Worldwide: A Scoping Review. Nutrients. 14(19): 4109.

Jana Daher, Dalia El Khoury, John Dwyer. 2021. Education Interventions to Improve Knowledge, Beliefs, Intentions and Practices with Respect to Dietary Supplements and Doping Substances: A Narrative Review. Nutrients. 13(11): 3935.

Hannah Wilson, Hannah Tait Neufeld, Kimberley Anderson, Cara Wehkamp, Dalia El Khoury. 2021. Exploring Indigenous Undergraduate Students’ Experiences within Urban and Institutional Food Environments. Sustainability. 13(18): 10268.

Shirley Vien, Sara Fard, Dalia El Khoury, Bohdan Luhovyy, Hrvoje Fabek, G. Harvey Anderson. 2021. Age and sex interact to determine the effects of commonly consumed dairy products on postmeal glycemia, satiety, and later meal food intake in adults. Journal of Nutrition. 00: 1-14.

Dalia El Khoury, Madelyn Tabakos, John J.M. Dwyer, Margo Mountjoy. 2021. Determinants of Supplementation Among Canadian University Students: A Theory of Planned Behaviour Perspective. Journal of American College Health. 1-9.

El Khoury Dalia, Pauley Rosemary J, Berseth Carol Lynn. 2020. Counselling Tips For The Prevention And Management Of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Lens On Valid Dietary Tools. The Nurse Practitioner. 46: 19-26.

Karol-Ann Roy, Dalia El Khoury, John J.M. Dwyer, Margo Mountjoy. 2020. Dietary Supplementation Practices Among Varsity Athletes at a Canadian University. Journal of Dietary Supplements. 1-16.

Bonnie Kung, Sylvie L. Turgeon, Shirley Vien, Ruslan Kubant, Dalia El Khoury, Amanda J. Wright, H. Douglas Goff, G. Harvey Anderson. 2020. Role of amino acids in reduction of blood glucose in young adults consuming milks varying in concentration and casein-to-whey ration with cereal. Journal of Nutrition. 150: 3103-3113.

Dalia El Khoury, Joel Hansen, Madelyn Tabakos, Lawrence L. Spriet, Paula Brauer. 2020. Dietary Supplement Use among Non-athlete Students at a Canadian University: A Pilot-Survey. Nutrients. 12: 2284.

Dalia El Khoury, Shirley Vien, Diana Sanchez, Bonnie Kung, Amanda Wright, H. Douglas Goff, G. Harvey Anderson. 2019. Increased milk protein content and whey-to-casein ratio in milk served with breakfast cereal reduce postprandial glycemia in healthy adults: An examination of mechanisms of action. Journal of Dairy Science. 102: 6766-6780.

Dalia El Khoury, John J.M. Dwyer, Lindsay Fein, Paula Brauer, Sydney Brennan, Irene Alfaro. 2019. Understanding the use of dietary supplements among athlete and non-athlete university students: development and validation of the questionnaire. Sports. 7: 166.

Dalia El Khoury, Shirley Vien, Diana Sanchez, Bonnie Kung, Amanda Wright, H. Douglas Goff, G. Harvey Anderson. 2019. Increased milk protein content and whey to casein ratio in milk served with breakfast cereal reduce postprandial glycemia in healthy adults. Journal of Dairy Science. 102: 6766-6780.

Sophie Antoine-Jonville, Dalia El Khoury, Cécile Faure, Keyne Charlot, Olivier Hue, Mare-Dominique Hardy-Dessources. 2019. Metabolic response to oral glucose tolerance test performed in neutral and warm environmental temperature. International Journal of Hyperthermia. 36: 625-631.

Dalia El Khoury, Skye Balfour-Ducharme, Iris J. Joye. 2018. A Review on the Gluten-free Diet: Technological and Nutritional Challenges. Nutrients. 10: 1410.

Douglas Goff, Nikolay Repin, Hrvoje Fabek, Dalia El Khoury, Michael J Gidley. 2017. Dietary Fibre for Glycemia Control: Towards a Mechanistic Understanding. Bioactive Carbohydrates and Dietary Fibre. 14: 39-53.

Vien S, Luhovyy BL, Patel BP, Panahi S, El Khoury D, Mollard RC, Hamilton JK, Anderson GH. 2017. Pre- and within meal effects of fluid dairy products on appetite, food intake, glycemia and regulatory hormones in children. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. 42: 302-310.

El Khoury D, Goff HD, Anderson GH. 2015. The role of alginates in regulation of food intake and glycemia: a gastroenterological perspective. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 55: 1406-1424.

Dalia El Khoury, Shirin Panahi, Bohdan L. Luhovyy, H. Douglas Goff, G. Harvey Anderson. 2015. Interaction of mealtime ad libitum beverage and food intake with meal advancement in healthy young men and women. Physiology and Behavior. 143: 39-44.

Dalia El Khoury, H. Douglas Goff, Shari Berengut, Ruslan Kubant, G. Harvey Anderson. 2014. Effect of sodium alginate addition to chocolate milk on glycemia, insulin, appetite and food intake in healthy adult men. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 68: 613-618.

Dalia El Khoury, Peter Brown, Gary Smith, Shari Berengut, Shirin Panahi, Ruslan Kubant, G. Harvey Anderson. 2014. Increasing the protein to carbohydrate ratio in yogurts consumed as a snack reduces post-consumption glycemia independent of insulin. Clinical Nutrition. 33: 29-38.

Dalia El Khoury, G. Harvey Anderson. 2013. Recent advances in dietary proteins and lipid metabolism. Current Opinion in Lipidology (Invited review). 24: 207-213.

El Khoury D, Antoine-Jonville S. 2012. Intake of nutritional supplements among people exercising in gyms in Beirut city. Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism. 2012:703490.

Current Projects

1. Identification of novel biomarkers for the metabolic syndrome and related disorders in children and adults.
2. Modulation of metabolic syndrome-related biomarkers with diet and physical activity in children and adults.
3. Prevalence and psychosocial determinants of dietary supplement use in different at-risk sectors of the population.
4. Designing an intervention program to improve knowledge, attitude and awareness on dietary supplements among university varsity athletes.
5. Assessing intake, knowledge and attitude with respect to global food trends such as plant-based diet and gluten-free diet.

Guide for Prospective Students

What are the qualities of a student who would be successful in your lab?

• A love for both qualitative and quantitative research is a strength for my students. A successful student on my research team has strong interest in clinical nutrition, whether from disease prevention and treatment perspectives or from a sports nutrition approach.

How would you describe your mentoring style?

• I work very closely with my students, and enjoy meeting with them on weekly basis to get updates on their research projects, answer any questions they may have, work together to address any existing challenges, and revise our work plans if needed. I trust though that my students can perform their daily work very well, at their own pace, without the need to micro-manage them.

Is there anything else you’d like your potential students to know? (include things like opportunities for funding/conferences/publication etc.)

• I will always encourage my students to attend and/or present their work at annual nutrition-related conferences, such as Canadian Nutrition Society, Experimental Biology and others. Conferences give them the opportunity to communicate their findings to the research communities, as well as to build a strong professional and research network in the nutrition field. I also strongly support students, both graduate and undergraduate, publishing their work in peer-reviewed journals.