Joseph Vinod Varre

Wheaton College Faculty

Joseph Vinod Varre, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Biological and Health Science

Research

Dr. Varre's research explores how the food we eat shapes our metabolic and mental health, and how the ways we farm and steward the land shape the nutritional quality of that food. Using metabolomics and lipidomics, he has profiled the fatty acid and phytonutrient composition of beef, bison, and dairy across commercial North American production systems, showing how grazing and finishing practices affect the nutrient density of these foods. A second thread of his work looks at bioactive lipids in human health, including the role of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids in depression, eye health, and cardiometabolic disease, and the contribution of ceramides to insulin resistance and immune dysfunction. He has also studied dietary transitions among migrant populations and their long-term effects on well-being. His work has appeared in journals including the British Journal of Nutrition, Molecular Metabolism, Journal of Animal Science, Frontiers in Nutrition, and npj Genomic Medicine. At Wheaton, he teaches Human Anatomy and Physiology, where he loves helping students marvel at the design of the human body, and he gladly welcomes undergraduates who are curious about nutrition, physiology, and metabolic research.

Education

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Nutrition and Food Science 
Utah State University, Logan, Utah

Master of Science (M.S.), Nutrition and Integrative Physiology 
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah

Masterof Science (M.Sc.), Clinical Exercise Physiology
Liverpool John Moores University
Liverpool, United Kingdom

Master of Pharmacy (M.Pharm.), Pharmacology 
Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences
Bengaluru, India

Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Pharmaceutical Sciences
Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University
Hyderabad, India

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Varre, J.V., Statham, T., Smith, A.F., Ahsin, M., Cloward, J., Carbonell Herrera, M., Mittendorf, C., Crompton, C., Ward, R.E., Evans, T., Bird, T., Lyons, S., Pinelli, A., Kittredge, D., & Van Vliet, S. (2025). Nutritional composition of beef: A comparison of commercial North American grass-and grain-finishing systems. Journal of Animal Science, skaf436.

Immadi, S.B., Ahsin, M., Varre, J.V., Ward, R.E., Williams, A., & Van Vliet, S. (2025). Agroecological practices in United States North Central dairy systems enhance omega-3 and phytonutrient levels in cow's milk. Food Bioscience, 107676.

Varre, J.V., Dustin, M., & Van Vliet, S. (2025). Dietary transformations and health implications in migrant populations: A global perspective. Frontiers in Nutrition, 12.

Varre, Joseph; Márquez-Velarde, Guadalupe; Suárez, Mario; Wengreen, Heidi; Dustin, Mia; van Vliet, Stephan. Association of dietary long-chain omega-3 fatty acid intake with depression severity in U.S. adults: a population-based cross-sectional study. British Journal of Nutrition. Accepted (in press); DOI pending. Manuscript ID: BJN-2025-1350.R1.

Varre, J.V., O'Sullivan, L., Weldy, G., Blair, A., Ward, R., & Van Vliet, S. (2025). Regional and finishing practices shape the nutritional landscape of bison meat: A case for sustainable grazing systems. Current Developments in Nutrition, 9(Supplement 2), 106661.

Crump, Z.C., Lidgard, A.D., Stafford, C.D., Kennedy, T.A.N., Alberto, A.F., Brown, B.L., Roholt, B.W., Okamoto, L.L., Varre, J.V., & Ali, L. (2025). The effects of including sprouted barley in the diets of Angus finishing steers on meat quality, sensory analysis, and meat metabolome. Journal of Animal Science.

Alruzzi, M.A., Stafford, C.D., Monsivais, M.R., Mishu, F.R., Varre, J.V., Karami, S., Van Vliet, S., Ward, R.E., Bastarrachea, L.J., & Matarneh, S.K. (2025). Impact of UV-A light dehydration on the physicochemical characteristics of beef jerky. ACS Food Science & Technology.

Varre, J.V., Daniel, N., Ryoo, W., & Van Vliet, S. (2024). The guardians of macular health: Omega 3 fatty acids. PharmaNutrition, 29, 100408.

Varre, J.V., Statham, T., Smith, A.F., Crompton, C., Ahsin, M., Lyons, S., Pinelli, A., Kittredge, D., Ward, R.E., & Van Vliet, S. (2024). Effect of finishing practices on fatty acids profiles of beef from North American commercial operations: A nation-wide profiling study. Current Developments in Nutrition, 8.

Peng, J., Yu, L., Huang, L., Paschoal, V.A., Chu, H., de Souza, C.O., Varre, J.V., Oh, D.Y., Kohler, J.J., Xiao, X., Xu, L., Holland, W.L., Shaul, P.W., & Mineo, C. (2023). Hepatic sialic acid synthesis modulates glucose homeostasis in both liver and skeletal muscle. Molecular Metabolism, 78, 101812. PMID: 37777009

Simeone, C.A., Wilkerson, J.L., Poss, A.M., Banks, J.A., Varre, J.V., Guevara, J.L., Lee, T.T., Cline, J.M., Pirruccello-Straub, M., Friedman, J.M., Summers, S.A., & Reue, K. (2022). A dominant negative adipoq mutation in a diabetic family with renal disease, hypoadiponectinemia, and hyperceramidemia. npj Genomic Medicine, 7(1), 43. PMID: 35869090

Varre, J.V., Holland, W.L., & Summers, S.A. (2022). You aren't immune to the ceramides that accumulate in cardiometabolic disease. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids, 1867(6), 159125. PMID: 35218934

Varre, J.V. (2021). Vaccines are not one size fits all, just like medications: Rotavirus vaccine study. Clinical and Experimental Vaccine Research, 10, 148-150. PMID: 34222127

Samaddar, S., Koneri, R., Varre, J.V., & Jha, D.K. (2019). Triterpenoid saponin from Momordica tuberosa (Cucurbitaceae) stimulates insulin secretion from isolated mouse pancreatic islets and provides protection from streptozotocin and high-glucose induced injury. Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, 53(3), 511-520.

Selected Presentations

"Influence of Diverse Finishing Methods on the Metabolic and Fatty Acid Composition of Bison Meat"
Cultivating Agricultural Partnerships for Sustainability, Western SARE, Salt Lake City, UT | October 2024

"Effect of Finishing Practices on Fatty Acid Profiles of Beef From North American Commercial Operations: A Nation-Wide Profiling Study" American Society of Nutrition, NUTRITION 2024, Chicago, IL | June 2024

Professional Service and Memberships

  • Graduate Student Representative, CAAS Graduate Student Council | 2023 – 2024 Utah State University
  • Member, American Society of Nutrition | 2023 – Present
  • Member, American Heart Association | 2021 – Present
  • Member, American Physiology Society | 2019 – 2021
  • Registered Pharmacist, Telangana Pharmacy Council, India (License: TG062901) | 2016 – Present