Investing.com -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a new joint research initiative today, aimed at addressing the rising tide of diet-related chronic diseases. The initiative, called the Nutrition Regulatory Science Program, is part of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s commitment to Make America Healthy Again.
The FDA and NIH plan to work closely to support gold standard science and gain a better understanding of the root causes of the diet-related chronic disease crisis, with a focus on protecting the health of America’s children. The new program will implement and accelerate a comprehensive nutrition research agenda to inform effective food and nutrition policy actions, aimed at improving the healthiness of Americans’ food and diets.
The research initiative will seek to answer key questions about ultra-processed foods, food additives, and the impact of maternal and infant dietary exposures on health outcomes across the lifespan, including autoimmune diseases. The answers to these questions will guide policy development and promote transparency about the impact of food on health.
FDA Commissioner Martin A. Makary, M.D., M.P.H, noted that the FDA is focusing resources on chronic diseases, which are major contributors to the healthcare crisis. He compared the new initiative to the successful FDA and NIH Tobacco Regulatory Science Program, highlighting the collaboration of scientific expertise from both agencies to transform nutrition and food-related research.
The FDA will contribute its expertise in regulatory science, while the NIH will manage the solicitation, review, and management of scientific research. The initiative will unite experts from various disciplines such as chronic disease, nutrition, toxicology, risk analysis, behavioral science, and chemistry, all with the aim of advancing the gold standard of nutrition and food science.
NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D., emphasized the importance of nutrition at NIH and the potential of the partnership with the FDA to answer important questions about how food affects health. The goal is to turn that science into smarter, more effective policy and tackle the chronic disease crisis head-on.
The FDA and NIH are committed to developing a research agenda for the Nutrition Regulatory Science Program and ensuring that all research conducted under the Program is fair, independent, and free of conflicts of interest.
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