Worldwide, 11 million deaths per year are attributed to suboptimal diets, including those with high sodium, low whole-grain, and low fruit content.1 Dietary factors contribute to hypertension, obesity, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cancers, especially gastric and colorectal cancers.

Malnutrition in older adults will become an increasingly pressing issue as a projected 1 in 4 Americans will be over 65 years of age by 2060. Nutritional assessment in older adults is often complicated by coexisting conditions, polypharmacy, and end-of-life decisions and, thus, requires a nuanced approach.

President Joe Biden’s 2022 National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health emphasizes a “food is medicine” approach and echoes the need for more nutrition training for clinicians

To help approach these knowledge gaps, the Journal announces the launch, in this issue, of a new review article series centered on fundamental and emerging concepts in nutrition, ranging from the basic “pharmacodynamics” of food to evolving topics such as the relation between the gut and immunity and the role of the gut microbiome in health and disease.

Reference.

-Clement D. Lee , Etc. Nutrition in Medicine — A New Review Article Series. N Engl J Med 2024;390:1324-1325