Nutrition education in medical school is rudimentary, at best, and limited for the duration of graduate medical education for many specialties. Requirements for meaningful nutrition education in all phases of medical training are long overdue.

In randomized clinical trials, dietary interventions have proven to both prevent and manage important diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.1,2 For example, compared with control groups, a Mediterranean-style diet was shown to reduce recurrent cardiovascular events by 72% (absolute difference, 2.83 events per year).1 In individuals with elevated fasting blood glucose, a combination of dietary changes and physical activity reduced the risk of developing diabetes by 58% (absolute difference, 6.2 cases per 100 person-years), compared with a 31% reduction in individuals receiving metformin (absolute difference, 3.2 cases per 100 person-years).2 However, the substantial body of evidence that supports the benefits of nutritional interventions has not adequately translated into action in medical training or practice.