Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he’s giving U.S. medical schools less than two weeks to “immediately” add comprehensive nutrition classes to their curricula.
Kennedy previously threatened to deny schools federal funding if they didn’t increase their nutrition course offerings.
“Medical schools talk about nutrition but fail to teach it,” Kennedy said Wednesday in a release. “We demand immediate, measurable reforms to embed nutrition education across every stage of medical training, hold institutions accountable for progress, and equip every future physician with the tools to prevent disease — not just treat it.”
HHS said medical schools have until Sept. 10 to submit written plans detailing how they intend to meet Kennedy’s mandate of nutrition education requirements throughout the process of becoming a doctor.
The push for nutrition training is part of Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, which prioritizes disease prevention over treatment and aims to reduce the rates of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity, in the United States.
Research published last year shows that 75% of U.S. medical schools have no required clinical nutrition classes, and only 14% of residency programs have a required nutrition curriculum.
“U.S. medical education has not kept up with the overwhelming research on the role of nutrition in preventing and treating chronic diseases,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “Medical schools across the country must act now to align their training with the latest research so that future physicians have the means to best help their patients stay healthy.”
“The U.S. Department of Education is proud to stand with HHS in working to lower chronic disease rates, especially in children,” she added.
To close the gap, the Trump administration is calling for nutrition education requirements to be embedded in premed standards, medical school curricula, medical licensing exams, residency program requirements, board certification standards and continuing education.
In a report released earlier this month, the Association of American Medical Colleges concluded that “nutrition plays a critical role in the prevention, management, and treatment of many chronic health conditions.”
“Few schools have implemented nutrition as a fully integrated longitudinal thread throughout their curricula, suggesting an important area for continued mapping and development,” the report stated. “Increased attention could be afforded to nutrition topics such as the environmental impact of food production and choices on health, food labels and the health impacts of ingredients, and community food resources.”
According to Duke University researchers, specialists treating conditions where diet plays an important role, including cardiologists, endocrinologists, nephrologists and oncologists, appear to be the least knowledgeable about nutrition. They cited a study from 2017 that found 90% of subspecialists received little to no formal education on nutrition during their fellowship, with 59% reporting the same experience during their residency.
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