Medical schools currently provide minimal nutrition instruction, with most students receiving fewer than two hours, and only 14% of residency programs requiring nutrition curricula, highlighting a significant gap Kennedy aims to fill.

The initiative calls for detailed plans from medical education organizations by September 10, including scope, standards, and accountability, with a proposed national curriculum of 36 nutritional competencies for medical students.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is leading a push to overhaul medical education by requiring comprehensive nutrition training across all stages, from undergraduate prerequisites to continuing education, aiming to address the U.S.'s high rates of obesity and chronic diseases.

Support for this effort comes from doctors and health advocates who see nutrition as vital for managing chronic diseases, though critics raise concerns about practical implementation and the limited time doctors have during patient visits.

Experts like Dr. Nate Wood and Dr. Jeff Chen endorse these reforms, emphasizing the importance of interprofessional collaboration with dietitians and the need for evidence-based research to support nutrition's role in health.

Industry leaders highlight the underfunding of nutrition research and advocate for a preventive health approach through better nutrition and supplements, aligning with efforts to treat food as medicine.

Critics point out systemic barriers such as food deserts and insurance coverage issues for dietitian services, arguing these are more pressing challenges than increasing medical nutrition training.

Supporters like the Natural Products Association believe that improved nutrition knowledge among healthcare providers can lead to healthier outcomes and reduce healthcare costs, especially as the U.S. faces rising obesity and diet-related diseases.

Specialists treating diet-related conditions, including endocrinologists and oncologists, are particularly underserved, with 90% having little to no formal nutrition training during fellowship, impacting patient care.

The U.S. faces a health crisis with obesity rates at 43.8% among adults in 2022, alongside increasing incidences of cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, and early-onset chronic illnesses.

Kennedy points to the COVID-19 pandemic's rapid adaptation, such as the surge in telehealth, as evidence that the healthcare system can quickly implement necessary changes, including in medical education.

This initiative aims to combat the fact that approximately 1 million Americans die annually from diet-related chronic diseases, which cost over $4.4 trillion in healthcare expenses.