Dr. Jay Bhattacharya (NIH Director) on Food, Nutrition, and Ultraprocessed Foods

At the Tufts Food is Medicine Capitol Hill Luncheon: “Eating Ourselves Sick – Ultraprocessed Foods & Policy,” NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya underscored the critical role of science in shaping nutrition policy and public health.

Key insights:

• Ultraprocessed foods account for ~60% of American calories

• They are major drivers of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and stroke

• Poor nutrition has contributed to stagnating U.S. life expectancy

NIH’s response:

• Strengthening rigorous, unbiased nutrition science

• NIH–FDA collaboration through the Nutrition Regulatory Science Program to produce regulatory-grade evidence

• Growing food-as-medicine research funding from $5M (2021) to $9.5M+, with 47 investigator-led projects across 10 NIH institutes

This research aims to:

• Inform policy and regulation

• Identify harmful vs. protective foods and additives

• Tailor interventions for vulnerable populations

Implementation matters:

• Support produce prescriptions and medically tailored meals

• Establish Centers of Excellence in Food as Medicine, modeled after NIH cancer centers

• Coordinate efforts across all 27 NIH institutes

Dr. Bhattacharya emphasized that this is a moment of opportunity — decades of research can now translate into real-world policy to reduce ultraprocessed foods and improve public health.