Capable and credible? Challenging nutrition science

Abstract

Nutrition science has enriched our understanding of how to stay healthy by producing valuable knowledge about the interaction of nutrients, food, and the human body. Nutrition science also has raised societal awareness about the links between food consumption and well-being, and provided the basis for food regulations and dietary guidelines. Its collaborative and interdisciplinary research has accomplished much, scientifically and socially. Despite this, nutrition science appears to be in crisis and is currently confronted with a public reluctance to trust nutritional insights. Though deflating trust is a general phenomenon surrounding the scientific community, its impact on nutrition science is particularly strong because of the crucial role of nutrition in everyone’s daily life. We, a Dutch collective of nutritionists, medical doctors, philosophers and sociologists of science (http://www.nutritionintransition.nl), have diagnosed that nutrition science is meeting inherent boundaries. This hampers conceptual and methodological progress and the translation of novel insights into societal benefit and trust. In other words, nutrition science is facing limitations to its capability and credibility, impeding its societal value. We take up the challenge to halt the threatening erosion of nutrition science’s capability and credibility, and explore a way forward. We analyse limitations to capability and credibility, then argue that nutrition science is caught in a vicious circle, and end by offering some suggestions to transcend the limitations and escape the current deadlock. We invite nutritional experts as well as scholars from adjacent disciplines to engage in the discussion.

Making nutrition guidelines fit for purpose

“…Nutrition researchers1020212223 and organisations such as Cochrane11 are calling for reform of conventional evidence synthesis and translation approaches so they are better able to overcome limitations in available evidence and include evidence relevant to modern nutrition problems. Below we give two examples of reforms in public health.…”

Influence of Dietary Advice Including Green Vegetables, Beef, and Whole Dairy Products on Recurrent Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…We tried to adhere to the most frequently used outcome measures in nutritional interventions in children with respiratory infections, as indicated by the COMMENT Initiative as well as daily questionnaires on common cold symptoms [25,27]. We incorporated a RCT design with normal eating practices, providing valid reflection of possible effects on daily life [28]. Our dietary advice was based on the qualities of the food matrix and food synergy in relation to fresh, locally produced, and traditional food.…”

Promoting Evidence Based Nutrition Education Across the World in a Competitive Space: Delivering a Massive Open Online Course

“…Complicating the communication of nutrition science and public health messaging are the often-contradictory range of messages communicated by researchers. Reductionist approaches focusing on research isolating single nutrients from whole diets in order to elicit causation, can lead to dissemination of oversimplified statements regarding healthy and unhealthy foods [8]. Nutrition guidelines were designed to provide consumers with evidence-based information to improve eating behaviors [9], however people are tired of repetitive government-initiated nutrition messages [10] and there is an appetite for consumers to have absolute recommendations [8].…”