Every year, more than 83 percent of US adults will have to visit a healthcare professional. The reasons for healthcare visits vary widely—some will need routine tests or checkups, while others will need more thorough care and investigation. In total, physicians deal with around one billion appointments every single year, and while many of these visits will always be essential, some of them could be prevented through better nutritional advice. After all, research suggests that the way we eat can have a significant impact on our overall health.
However, in September 2024, an expert panel of medical and nutrition professionals published a study expressing concern that physicians in the US were not “equipped” to give their patients the right nutritional advice due to inadequate training. This is not only costing people their health, but it’s costing money, too. The study, which was published in the journal JAMA Network Open, noted that diet-related diseases cost healthcare systems around $800 billion in 2019.
“My guess is that most patients assume their doctors are trained to advise them about nutrition and food choices, but this has simply not been part of their required training,” David Eisenberg, MD, lead author of the study and director of culinary nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a statement.
“It’s shocking that there are no nationally required nutrition competencies within medical education,” he continued. “This is a surprising and important gap, considering the epidemics of obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related chronic diseases in this country, as well as their ever-increasing financial and societal costs.”
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The link between diet, health, and disease
According to Yaa Boakye, RDN, a nutrition consultant, body data practitioner, and personal trainer, nutrition training varies from school to school, but the average medical student in the US “receives between 19 and 24 hours of nutrition education throughout their entire training.” To put that in perspective, medical school usually takes around four years to complete. “It’s barely a week’s worth of lectures,” Boakye tells VegNews.
And yet, the truth is that poor diet is a major contributing factor to many chronic diseases in the US. The Standard American Diet (SAD), also known as the Western Pattern Diet, is high in saturated fat, sodium, refined grains, added sugars, red meat, and processed meat, all of which are associated with an increased risk of chronic diseases, like type 2 diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.
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SAD is notoriously low in nutrient-dense whole foods. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just one in 10 American adults eat sufficient amounts of fruits and vegetables. But these foods are chock full of vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds, all of which can help to significantly reduce the risk of chronic disease.
Earlier this year, the US News & World Report labeled the Mediterranean diet as the number one diet to follow for the seventh year in a row, largely for its emphasis on plant-based whole foods. “The Mediterranean diet focuses on diet quality rather than a single nutrient or food group,” noted the publication, which compiled its 2024 list with the help of more than 40 nationally recognized dietitians. “Numerous studies have shown that it reduces the risk of chronic health conditions, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes while promoting longevity and improving quality of life.”
Would more nutrition training help reduce and manage disease?
There’s no doubt that alongside other lifestyle factors, like smoking, alcohol intake, and a lack of exercise, poor nutrition can increase the risk of certain chronic diseases. But right now, the healthcare system in the US and much of the world is focused on treating diseases when they occur, rather than preventing them from occurring in the first place.
“The model of ‘get sick and fix it’ is not working,” Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RDN, told Healthline back in 2019. “The model needs to be ‘don’t get sick’ and nutrition has a huge component with this.”
This isn’t the fault of doctors, stresses Boakye. It’s an approach that is sewn into the fabric of the healthcare system. “The ideal solution weaves nutrition education into every phase of medical training,” she explains. “Equipping physicians to approach patient care holistically.”
“Chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension aren’t just medical diagnoses,” Boakye expands. “They’re life-altering conditions that demand continuous, complex decisions about food. Diet isn’t merely part of the equation—it’s central to it.”
The bottom line is that diet comes into every part of healthcare. It plays a big role in prevention, but it can also play a big role in managing diseases. A diet rich in whole foods has been linked with helping manage conditions like endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and even attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), for example.
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Boakye also points to conditions like diabetes and hypertension. “A nutrient-rich diet that emphasizes whole foods, fiber, and healthy fats plays a critical role not just in prevention, but also in managing these diseases,” she explains, noting that the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and fiber-rich foods can play vital roles in controlling symptoms. “Yet these interventions often come too late,” she explains. “Introduced only after the patient is already juggling multiple medications.”
The recent JAMA Network Open study notes that making nutrition more of a priority in the healthcare system needs to start in medical schools. It highlights 36 important skills across six categories that medical schools need to teach students. The categories include basic nutrition knowledge, nutrition assessment (knowing how to evaluate a patient’s nutrition without judgment), and public health. The latter includes understanding how certain social factors can impact a patient’s access to healthy foods.
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Research suggests that more than 40 million Americans live in “food deserts,” which are areas of the US with limited access to affordable, nutritious food and greater access to ultra-processed and fast-food options. Because of this, research suggests that people living in food deserts are at a higher risk of developing diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
“Food doesn’t exist in a vacuum,” says Boakye. “Dietary choices are shaped by stress, social environments, economic realities, and access to affordable groceries.”
In healthcare, teamwork is fundamental
Physicians can’t do it all, and the JAMA study acknowledges this. It urges that medical schools also need to focus on teaching future doctors how to better collaborate with other health professionals, like dietitians and nutritionists. In Boakye’s view, it would also be beneficial for physicians to spend clinical rotations with dietitians, which would give them more experience in dietary counseling.
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“When doctors and dietitians collaborate effectively, patients receive holistic care, and health outcomes improve,” says Boakye. “If we’re serious about shifting toward preventative care, then collaboration isn’t just a good idea—it’s the future.”
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Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England’s southern coast.