Op-Ed: Nutrition training in medical schools overdue

Our food has been making us sick. This overdue acknowledgement was at the heart of the recently updated dietary guidelines. The recent commitment by the Department of Health and Human Services and dozens of medical schools to require meaningful nutrition training for future doctors reflects a growing recognition that we need to focus on the root causes of chronic metabolic diseases. While conditions such as diabetes and high cholesterol are among the most common conditions Americans face, medical education rarely has addressed the role nutrition plays in those conditions. That status quo will no longer be acceptable. Understanding how diet affects the biology of disease will be a required part of the scientific training of physicians. Nutritionists and dietitians play an important role in helping patients change behavior. Managing diet in daily life can be difficult, and these specialists are essential in helping patients make better choi