Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is advocating for enhanced nutrition education for doctors.
On Wednesday, he revealed that a specialized team within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will address the “serious lack of nutrition education in medicine.” Their aim is to significantly incorporate nutrition into the medical curriculum, licensing exams, residency training, board accreditation, and continuing education requirements for physicians.
“We can reverse the chronic disease epidemic by simply modifying our diet and lifestyle, but for that to happen, nutrition must be an essential part of every physician’s training,” Kennedy stated. Watch the video on X. “We’ll initiate this by integrating nutrition into the pre-med programs at universities and assessing it through the MCAT.”
This shift includes cutting vaccine research and reducing federal health agencies as Kennedy makes more controversial decisions to reform American public health.
HHS did not answer specific inquiries but highlighted an NBC News press release.
The department has instructed medical education institutions to present written plans for integrating nutrition education by September 10th. The American Association of Medical Colleges has established the Medical College Entrance Examination (MCAT), which sets coursework requirements or recommendations that pre-med students should follow.
Numerous doctors commended the announcement, acknowledging nutrition’s vital role in managing and preventing chronic diseases. Kennedy’s personal commitment aims to elevate the importance of the policies he championed upon taking office. However, while some worry about insufficient time for nutritional counseling, HHS advocates believe it is preferable to bolster hospital staffing with nutritionists or enhance counseling coverage. Others contend that Kennedy’s announcement could undermine trust in physicians and raise concerns about their patient care capabilities.
In June, Texas and Louisiana enacted laws aligning with Kennedy’s proposed medical education reforms. In Texas, physicians must complete nutrition courses to renew their licenses, while medical schools are required to include nutrition education to access certain public funds. Louisiana mandates that some doctors undergo at least one hour of continuing education in nutrition every four years.
Dr. Natewood, a primary care physician at Yale School of Medicine and director of culinary medicine, endorsed the need for doctors to be well-trained in nutrition. However, he questioned whether this approach is the most effective means of addressing chronic diseases.
“It’s somewhat short-sighted to assume that providing nutritional counseling is the solution to this chronic disease crisis,” he asserted.
“Many appointments are for sick patients who seek quick solutions to multiple complex issues,” Wood added.
In a Wall Street Journal editorial, Kennedy expressed concern that healthcare providers tend to “overlook” nutrition education requirements. He referenced a 2022 Journal of Wellness Survey, which indicated that medical students receive less than one hour of formal nutrition training annually. He also cited findings from Nutrition for Journal’s Research Advances in 2024, reporting that 75% of U.S. medical schools require coursework in clinical nutrition.
Previously, Kennedy proposed withholding funds from medical schools lacking nutrition courses.
“This motivated me to enter this field, as nutrition is a primary health factor for many of my patients, yet it was largely absent from my education.”
He expressed support for Kennedy’s policy initiatives regarding nutrition education in medicine.
“The federal government is essentially stating, ‘If you’re not fulfilling your duties—if you’re not training your doctors accordingly—we’ll halt funding.’ And they will heed that warning,” Mozaffarian remarked.
However, the American Association of Medical Colleges contends that medical students do receive training on dietary impacts on health. According to their recent surveys of U.S. and Canadian medical schools, all 182 institutions now include nutrition as a crucial aspect of the curriculum, up from 89% five years ago.
“The School of Medicine acknowledges the significant role nutrition has in preventing, managing, and treating chronic health conditions, and thus incorporates essential nutrition education into the core curriculum,” stated AAMC Chief Academic Officer Alison Wehrran.
Kennedy’s appeal for enhanced nutrition education has ignited discussions about the realistic expectations patients can have from primary care physicians.
Mozaffarian emphasized that the aim is not to transform doctors into nutritionists, but to equip patients with the knowledge needed to identify dietary concerns and refer them to specialists.
Conversely, Dr. Jake Scott, an infectious disease expert at Stanford Medicine, believed that physicians already possess this foundational knowledge.
“I am not uninformed about nutrition; that’s the implication,” he remarked.
Scott pointed out that malnutrition in the U.S. is not solely due to a lack of awareness regarding healthier food choices; it’s also a consequence of systemic barriers, such as lack of affordable healthcare or limited access to healthy food options. Approximately 18.8 million people in the U.S. live in food deserts, which are low-income areas far from grocery stores.
“There are numerous creative and feasible solutions, but if I were leading HHS, this medical education requirement would be the least of my priorities,” he commented.
Wood suggested that a more effective approach would be to advocate for increased access to nutritionists covered by insurance. For instance, while Medicare may cover these services, it usually requires patients to have diabetes or develop kidney disease. Coverage may vary for private insurances and Medicaid patients, he noted.
Source: www.nbcnews.com
