Medical schools boost nutrition training after pressure from RFK Jr.
By isabelle // 2025-11-07
Copy
 
  • Medical schools are being pushed to mandate proper nutrition education.
  • This change responds to federal pressure linking funding to nutrition courses.
  • Most doctors currently graduate with almost no formal nutrition training.
  • This gap exists despite diet-related illnesses being a leading cause of death.
  • The goal is to shift healthcare focus toward disease prevention.
You might assume your doctor knows a lot about nutrition, given how often they talk about diet-related issues like obesity, heart disease, and diabetes with patients. But the surprising truth is that most physicians graduate with shockingly little formal training in how food impacts health. This glaring gap in medical education is finally getting the attention it deserves at the highest levels, prompting a major shift in how future doctors will be trained. In a significant move, the Association of American Medical Colleges issued a call to action to strengthen nutrition education for doctors in training. This decision comes as a direct response to public pressure from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been vocal about tying federal funding to mandatory nutrition courses. The AAMC, which represents 173 accredited medical schools, is now urging its members to evaluate and enhance their nutrition curricula.

A long overdue correction

For years, the state of nutrition education in medicine has been a quiet scandal. While medical schools have recently reported increases in nutrition content, Kennedy has pointed to other studies showing most students receive fewer than two hours of nutrition instruction throughout their entire medical school career. A 2024 study found that 75% of U.S. medical schools have no required clinical nutrition classes. This lack of training exists despite diet-related diseases being a leading cause of death and disability in the nation. The AAMC’s new stance acknowledges this critical shortfall. "Nutrition is central to preventing, managing, and treating many of the chronic diseases that continue to drive morbidity, mortality, and health care costs in the United States," said AAMC President and CEO Dr. David Skorton. He emphasized that physicians must be prepared to address patients' nutrition needs alongside other health professionals.

From theory to practice

The AAMC’s plan involves integrating nutrition education into its meetings starting this fall and hosting events for medical educators on best practices. This represents a concrete step toward making nutrition a core component of medical competence rather than an optional extra. The association notes that while only 38% of schools reported having required nutrition content beyond basic sciences in 2014, that figure rose to 94% in 2024, showing a positive trend that this new initiative aims to accelerate. Kennedy’s vision for reform is comprehensive. He has called for nutrition education to start even before medical school, with prerequisites for pre-med students and nutrition testing on the MCAT exam. He has also advocated for new standards for clinical nutrition training during clerkships and specialty-specific requirements across all residency programs. His goal is to shift the healthcare focus from simply treating sickness to actively preventing disease through food-as-medicine approaches. While this push for nutritional education is a welcome change, a healthy skepticism remains. The modern medical industry is deeply invested in a model of managing chronic illness with lifelong pharmaceutical prescriptions, which are highly profitable. It is an open question whether a system built on this model will genuinely embrace natural, food-based alternatives that could reduce dependency on drugs. The hope is that this new educational foundation will at least equip future doctors to guide patients toward natural healing options that come without harmful side effects. The role of diet in overall health, particularly in the obesity epidemic that underlies so many chronic conditions, cannot be overstated. Equipping physicians with the knowledge to properly advise patients on nutrition is a fundamental step toward creating a healthier population and curbing the staggering costs of preventable disease. This is not just about adding another class to a crowded syllabus; it is about reorienting the entire philosophy of care toward prevention and root-cause resolution. This long-awaited reform in medical education could lead to a future where a doctor’s visit involves more substantive guidance on how to eat for health, potentially reducing the reliance on prescription pads. It is a move that acknowledges a simple, powerful truth you have likely known all along: food is indeed medicine, and it is time our healers learned how to use it. Sources for this article include: JustTheNews.com AAMC.org ABCNews.go.com MedPageToday.com
Copy