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OPPORTUNITIES IN THE
HUTLITIOF
flHD
or - Ire crlrn<~t
llesearch Challenges and the
Next Generation of Investigators
Committee on Opportunities in the Nutrition and Food Sciences
Food and Nutrition Board
INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE
Paul R. Thomas and Robert Earl, Editors
NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Washington, D.C. 1994
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diagonal Academy Press e ZIO1 Conshtut10n Avenue, \.~. ~ Washington, D.C. 20418
NOTICE: The project tbut ~ the subject of tab report was approved by the Caverning
Board of the Nabona1 Research CouncO, verbose members are drawn Tom the councils of the
Nabona1 Academy of Sciences, the \adona1 Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of
Medicine. The members of the committee responsible far the report mere chosen far their
special competences and with regard far appropriate balance.
This report teas been reviewed by ~ group other than the outbox according to proce-
dures approved by ~ Report Review Committee consisting of members of the Nubon~1
Academy of Sciences, the Nabonn1 Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.
The Institute of Medicine was chartered in 1970 by the Nabona1 Academy of Sciences
to enlist d~tinguisbed members of the appropriate professions in the examination of policy
maters pertaining to the bet of the public. In thin the Institute acts under bow the
Acudemy's 1863 congressiona1 courter responsibility to be an adviser to the faders govern-
ment and Us own inibutive in identifying issues of medical care, research, and education. ~r
Kenneth L Shine ~ president of the Institute of Medicine.
This Rudy was supported by Reference Log No. S9-0130G-000 Mom the Few Cb~tuble
Trusts; Contract No. N01-DK-1-2270 Tom Me National Institutes of Herb, U.S. ~epart-
ment of Heabb and Human Services; the Kellogg Foundabon; Contract No. 59-32U4-0-35
Tom the U S. Department of Agriculture; and CeneraI M]1~ Inc.
Library of Congress Catalog1ng-In-Pub11~ation Data
Institute of Medicine (U.S.). Committee on Opportunities in the
Nut~bon and Food Sciences
Opportunibes in the nutrition Ad Nod sciences: research
chaHenges and the Dext generation of iovesUgators / Committee on
Opportunities in the Nutdtion and Food Sciences, Food and Nuthtion
Board, Institute of Medicine; Paul R. Tbom~s and Robert Earls
Eaton
P cm.
Includes bibbogr~bica1 references Ed index.
ISEN 0-309-Q4S84-2
1. Nutrition Research. 2. Food Research. I. Tbomas, Paul Rag
1953- . IL EaH, Dobert O. IIL Title.
QP143456 1994
613.2'072 dc20
Copyright 1994 by the N~dona1 Academy of Sciences. All rights resewed.
Pruned ~ Me Unhed States of America
93-41970
CIP
The serpent has been ~ symbol of long Em, beahng, and knowledge among almost aH cub
tares and reDgions since the beginning of recorded hector. The image adopted as ~ logotype
by the Institute of Medicine ~ based on ~ relief coming Lom ancient Creece, now beld by
the Sta~Uchemuseen in BerLn.
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D Indication
This report is dedicated to Debut S. Goodman, .. {1930-1991),
who sewed as the ori~nu1 chaLmun of this committee. Dr. Coodman was
~ renowned nutrition researcher and educator as well as ~ developer and
great supporter of this study. His untimely death is ~ tragic loss to the
biomedicu1 community. We believe that this report reRects ha desire to
enhance research and training in the nutrition and Mod sciences.
. . .
zzz
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COMMITTEE ON OPPORTUNITIES IN THE
NUTRITION AND FOOD SCIENCES
RICHARD l. HANSEL (Chair),~! Cardiovascular Research Institute,
School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco,
California
JOHN W. ERDMAN, JR. (Vice Chair), Division of Nutritional Sciences,
University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois
CUTBERTO GARZA (Vice Chair), Division of Nutritional Sciences,
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
ALAN G. GOODRIDGE (Vice Chair), Department of Biochemistry,
University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
[ANET C. KING (Vice Chair), Department of Nutritional Sciences,
University of California, Berkeley, California
FERGUS M. CLYDESDALE, Department of Food Science, University
of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts
ROBERT ). COUSINS, Center for Nutritional Sciences, University of
Florida, Gainesville, Florida
ADAM DREWNOWSKI, Human Nutrition Program, School of Public
Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
SUSAN K. HARLANDER, Dairy Foods Research, Technology, and
Engineering, Land O'Lakes, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota
LAURENCE N. KOLONEL, Cancer Research Center of Hawaii
University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii
GILBERT A. LENIEILLE, Research and Technical Services, Nabisco
Foods Group, East Hanover, New Jersey
MARTHA CONSTANTINE-PATON, Department of Biology, Yale
University, New Haven, Connecticut
F. XAVIER PI-SUNYER, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and
Nutrition, St. Luke's/Roosevelt Hospital Center, Columbia
University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York
SARA A. QUANDT, Department of Anthropology, University of
Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
SYED S.H. RIZVI, Department of Food Science, Cornell University,
Ithaca, New York
IRWIN H. ROSENBERG, USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on
Aging, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts
A. CATHARINE ROSS, Division of Nutrition, Department of
Biochemistry, Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania
Member, National Academy of Sciences
M ember, Institute of M edicine
v
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SACEIIKO T. ST. JEOR, Nutrition Education and Research Program,
University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada
ALBERT l. STUNKARD,f Department of Psychiatry, University of
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
DAVID VALLE, Departments of Pediatrics, Molecular Biology and
Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore,
Maryland
WALTER C. WILLETT, School of Public Health, IIarvard University,
Boston, Massachusetts
M.R.C. GREENWOOD (Food and Nutrition Board Liaison),l Office of
Graduate Studies, University of California, Davis, California
Staff
PAUL R. THOMAS, Project Director
ROBERT EARL, Program Officer
CONNIE ROSEMONT, Research Associate (through June 1992)
SHEILA A. MOATS, Research Associate (from August 1993)
JANIE B. MARSHALL, Project Assistant (through April 1993)
SUSAN M. KNASIAK, Project Assistant (from November 1993)
Al
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FOOD AND NUTRITION BOARD
M.R.C. GREENWOOD (C7~air),i Office of Graduate Studies, University
of California, Davis, California
EDWIN L. BIERMAN (Vice Chair),! Division of Metabolism,
Endocrinology, and Nutrition, University of Washington, Seattle,
Washington
OJ ~
PERRY L. ADKISSON,~ Department of Entomology, Texas A&M
University, College Station, Texas
LINDSAY lI. ALLEN, Department of Nutrition, University of
California, Davis, California
DENNIS M. BIER, Children's Nutrition Research Center, Houston,
Texas
EJECTOR F. DeLUCA,¢ Department of Biochemistry, University of
Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
MICHAEL P. DOYLE, Department of Food Science and Technology,
Georgia Experiment Station, University of Georgia, Griffin, Georgia
JOEIANNA T. DWYER, Frances Stern Nutrition Center, New England
Medical Center Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
JOHN W. ERDMAN, ;iR., Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of
Illinois, Urbana, Illinois
CUTBERTO GARZA, Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell
University, Ithaca, New York
K. MICHAEL HAMBIDGE, Department of Pediatrics, University of
Colorado Medical Center, Denver, Colorado
JANET C. KING, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of
California, Berkeley, California
JOEIN E. KINSELLA (cleceased), School of Agriculture and
Environmental Sciences, University of California, Davis, California
LAURENCE N. KOLONEL, Cancer Research Center of EIawaii,
University of EIawaii, EIonoluTu, Hawaii
SANFORD A. MILLER, School of Biomectical Sciences, University of
Texas, San Antonio, Texas
ALFRED SOMMER,! School of Hygiene and Public EIealth, Johns
Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
VERNON R. YOUNG,¢ Department of Nutritional Biochemistry,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, Massachusetts
Member, National Academy of Sciences
Member, Institute of Medicine
. .
V11
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STEVE L. TAYLOR (Ex Officio), Department of Food Science and
Technology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska
ARTEIUR EI. RUBENSTEIN (IOM Council LiaisonJ,f Department of
Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Staff
CATEIERINE E. WOTEKI, Director
MARCIA S. LEWIS, Administrative Assistant
S U S AN M . WYATT, Financial As s ociate
. . .
vale
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Foreword
Food is fundamental to life and health. Observations over millennia
and scientific research have demonstrated that what and how much we eat
can affect profoundly how we grow, develop, and age and our ability to
enjoy life to its fullest. Dietary patterns are linked to risks of developing a
variety of chronic diseases that are disabling and terminate life prema-
turely.
Fundamental scientific inquiry is essential to advances in the nutri-
tion and food sciences or to any of the biomedical, social, and physical
sciences. Especially noteworthy is the promise of the biological and ge-
netic revolutions in biomedicine and agriculture. With disease prevention
becoming more important in this time of health care reform, continued
research and advances in the nutrition and food sciences provide great
opportunities to improve the lives of millions of Americans. The United
States' preeminent role as a feeder of the world is a stunning example of
how advances in science and technology have led to improved food pro-
duction and processing practices. As a result, citizens in this country and
in much of the world are assured an adequate amount of nutritious and
safe foods at reasonable prices.
To 1 1 · 1 1 . 1 1
Public health researchers and practitioners face many challenges in
facilitating the adoption of healthy eating patterns by the majority of the
public. These include developing improved measures to assess the nutri-
tional status and health of individuals and groups, as well as developing
individualized dietary recommendations that are based on individual sus
i
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x
FOREWORD
ceptibilities to disease. The range of problems is broad from dietary
excesses contributing to chronic disease, to inadequate food contributing
to hunger and their solutions will require changes in both individual
behaviors and public policies. This report identifies research that will link
the nutrition and food sciences even more closely with agriculture, eco-
nomics, and the social and behavioral sciences in order to develop re-
search-based programs and policies to improve public health.
Given the vital importance of the nutrition and food sciences to the
wealth of nations and the health of their citizens, it is unfortunate that
nutritionists and food scientists have reasons to be concerned about the
future and long-term vitality of their disciplines. As described in this
report, research in the nutrition and food sciences appears to be inad-
equately funded in relation to its Potential contribution to society. These
fields face an identity crisis given their interdisciplinary nature and the
diversity of institutional settings in which research and training occur.
How to recruit and train students to address the interdisciplinary research
opportunities of the future is a critical challenge. Such opportunities
highlight the need for collaborative efforts among nutritionists, food sci-
entists, and their colleagues in disciplines ranging from basic biology and
chemistry to the social and engineering sciences.
The members of the Committee on Opportunities in the Nutrition
and Food Sciences have produced a timely and important report. Special
thanks are due to Richard Havel, a member of the National Academy of
Sciences and Institute of Medicine, who agreed to chair this committee
following the untimely death of DeWitt Goodman, another Institute of
Medicine member. The report reflects the dedication of the committee
members, who gave large amounts of their time and energy over several
years. It should be an important reference work that will spark needed
discussion about shaping the future directions of the nutrition and food
sciences into the twenty-first century.
Bruce M. Alberts
President
National Acaclemy of Sciences
.~
,~
Kenneth I. Shine
President
Institute of Medicine
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Preface
The Institute of Medicine's (IOM) Food and Nutrition Board (FNB)
has Tong wished to examine needs and opportunities in the nutrition and
food sciences, as others have done under the auspices of the National
Academy of Sciences for the fields of chemistry, biology, hydrology, as-
tronomy and astrophysics, and several others. We were able to initiate this
stucly with the generous support of the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Na-
tional Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Na-
tionaT Research Council funds from the Kellogg Foundation. The objec-
tives of this 2.5-year study were:
.
to identify the most promising opportunities in research in the
nutrition and food sciences and the means of enhancing research, and
· to examine the organizational structure and quality of education
and training in nutrition and the foot! sciences ant! to propose recommen-
cdations for improving them.
The Committee on Opportunities in the Nutrition and Food Sciences,
whose members wrote this report, consists of 21 scientists who are recog-
nized leaders in research and who were recommended by one or more
scientific or professional associations. These individuals work in a wide
variety of settings, incTucling lancI-grant colleges, public and private uni-
versities, medical schools, and industry. They are familiar with education
and training issues and, as a group, with the work of practitioners in
nonacademic settings, including various institutions, hospitals, and public
health agencies, as well as field settings and the food industry.
Xl
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Ma
PREFACE
Because no committee of manageable size could adequately cover the
range of topics within the purview of the nutrition and food sciences, we
requested the help of many outside experts. First, we contacted more
than 100 professional scientists and practitioners, asking them for infor-
mation, ideas, or contributions on specific topics. In addition, we orga-
nized public sessions at the 1992 annual meetings of the Federation of
American Societies for Experimental Biology and the Institute of Food
Technologists. Furthermore, we encouraged contributions by publishing a
O ' O ~ 1 0
.. r . .. . r . ~ .
stucly summary anct a 11st ot SIX questions In numerous professional Jour-
nals and newsletters, including American Institute of Nutrition Notes, Food
Technology The tournal of the American Dietetic Association Tournal of
~ ~ , ., ~ , ., ~
Nutrition Education, and the newsletter ot the American (college ot Nu-
trition. The questions were:
1. What do you consider to be the top three research findings in
your own area;
2. What do you see as the three most important new frontiers and
opportunities for research in the nutrition and food sciences that should
be adctressecI?
3. What new technologies are required or need to be developed to
meet these challenges?
4. What do you regard as the essential elements of training needed
to meet the future research opportunities that you listed above?
5. What changes in current institutional and organizational struc-
tures would enhance research and training and thereby lead to progress in
the nutrition and food sciences?
6. If you could hire a new faculty member or employee, what exper-
tise would you seek?
We evaluated all contributions and incorporated many of them in this
report. With our sincere thanks for their help, we list these contributors
by name and affiliation in Appendix B.
The full committee met five times during the course of this study. We
established four working groups to develop drafts of Chapters 3 through
6, which identify needs and exciting opportunities for research related to
nutrition in the basic biological sciences, food science and technology,
clinical sciences, and public health. Working groups held innumerable
special meetings and conference calls to prepare their papers and coordi-
nate the contributions of outside experts. Our draft report was formally
reviewed under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences' Report
Review Committee by a panel of experts whose identities remain un-
known to the committee. We have incorporated many of their thoughtful
and constructive suggestions.
This report describes a wide range of interesting and exciting needs
and opportunities for research in the nutrition and food sciences. EIow
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PREFACE
ever, by necessity in such diverse anc3 applied disciplines, we were selec-
tive rather than encyclopedic in our coverage. We examined recommen-
dations for research made in a variety of reports by the FNB, government,
and other sources. We established three criteria to help us decide which
areas of research to highlight. First, the research must be likely to en-
hance individual and public health substantially, by preventing ancl treat-
ing nutrition-related diseases and improving the quality, safety, and avail-
ability of our food supply. Second, the research must provide important
opportunities and challenges for investigators. Thircl, the research was
seen as important by one or more of the outside experts who contributed
to this report. Our selections were made difficult by friendly differences
of opinion and the fact that the nutrition and food sciences are expanding
as new techniques and ideas are developed in the basic sciences on which
these disciplines depend.
With few exceptions, the research accomplishments and opportunities
we have identified are of domestic interest. The constraints that led to
this limitation precluded a discussion of the exciting challenges faced by
the nutrition and food sciences in improving global health. The nature of
immigrant populations worldwide and common health problems faced by
them and by many rural and urban communities in this country present
special challenges that we were unable to review. We hope that the op-
portunities highlighted in this report succeed in capturing the imagination
of new professionals ant! encourage them to tackle problems of domestic
and international significance.
In addition to identifying research opportunities and needs to en-
hance the education and training of the next generation of investigators,
this report also speaks to the need for facilitating the application of avail-
able knowledge in the nutrition and food sciences to clinical and public
health programs and policies. However, this latter topic one of vital im-
portance to the future of the nutrition and food sciences deserves a
separate study of its own. Most nutritionists and food scientists are practi-
tioners who translate and apply the research results of investigators into
programs and initiatives to improve dietary patterns in this country, treat
diet-related diseases, or improve the nutritional value and safety of our
food supply.
1~7 1
vve nave prepared this report for a large audience, from nonscientist
policymakers to well-trained nutrition researchers. We hope to reach de-
cision makers in Congress, academic institutions, founclations, and gov-
erning boards of accrediting programs, who are in positions to support the
growth and well-being of the nutrition and food sciences. We also direct
our report to students who are contemplating careers in science, as we
hope to convey the excitement and challenge of careers in these disci-
plines. Our goal is to provide all readers with some understanding of and
appreciation for the diversity of problems and opportunities that chal
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xIv
PREFACE
lenge nutrition and food scientists. Realization of these opportunities will
provide us in some cases with a better understanding of the basic biologi-
cal mechanisms that may improve health in the future and in others with
immediate improvements in our lives through medicine, agriculture, and
our choices in the supermarket.
ORGANIZATION OF THIS REPORT
This volume begins with a summary of the report that sets forth our
conclusions and recommendations for research, education, and training
priorities to ensure adequate support for the nutrition and food sciences.
In Chapter 1, we present what we believe to be some of the most promis-
ing directions for research, organized into five themes and illustrated with
two examples. Chapter 2 describes several important accomplishments
that are based upon modern concepts of biology and available technolo-
gies. Our examples show how the nutrition and food sciences have enor-
mously improved human health around the world and suggest how further
research promises even greater health benefits.
Chapters 3 through 6 make up the bulk of this report. They describe
numerous current and future opportunities for exciting, challenging re-
search to advance the nutrition and food sciences and to improve human
health and the healthfulness of the food supply. Research opportunities in
the basic biological sciences and the food sciences are presented, followed
by opportunities in clinical nutrition research and public health nutrition.
While these are necessarily the most technical chapters in the report,
their main points are presented in nontechnical fashion in the summary
and conclusions.
The future health of the nutrition and food sciences depends almost
entirely on a continued supply of outstanding researchers in these areas,
as well as adequate financial support. In Chapter 7, we address the educa-
tion and training of nutrition and food scientists. While our primary focus
is on the training of competent researchers at the graduate and postdoctoral
levels, we do not neglect undergraduate education. Chapter 8 reviews the
various sources of financial support for the nutrition and food sciences
and trends in that support over time. Our list of references is intentionally
short; we have listed review articles and particularly important research
studies to steer the interested reader to more detailed information on the
topics we address. The report concludes with three appendixes: a list of
acronyms, acknowledgment of contributors to this report, and brief biog-
raphies of the committee members and staff.
This report, while ostensibly a product of this committee, incorpo-
rates the contributions of hundreds of individuals, many of whom are
-1 ~1-r ~----r
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PREFACE
XV
recognized leaders in the nutrition and food sciences. We have benefited
greatly from their ideas and suggestions and hope that, as a result, this
report represents somewhat of a consensus of expert opinion on how to
shape the directions of the nutrition and food sciences into the twenty-
first century.
Richard l. Havel, Chair
Committee on Opportunities in the
Nutrition and Food Sciences
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Acknowlec3 gments
This committee acknowledges the important contributions of Paul Thomas,
Project Director of this report, as well as Catherine Woteki, FNB Direc-
tor, and Robert Earl, Program Officer. Their attention, skill, and dedica-
tion to all aspects of the production of this report and their service to the
committee have been invaluable.
We also appreciate the assistance provided by Research Associates
Connie Rosemont and Sheila Moats en c! Project Assistant Janie Marshall.
Mike Edington of IOM's Reports and Information Office helped to pre-
pare the final manuscript for publication, and Blair Burns Potter served
ably as copy editor. The staff of the National Academy Press, particularly
Sally Stanfield in publishing this report and Barbara Kline in marketing it,
were professional and helpful, as always. Special thanks are also due to
Kenneth Shine, IOM President, Enriqueta Bond, IOM Executive Officer,
and the members of the FNB for their support, advice, and encourage-
ment.
xv
Richard J. lIavel, Chair
Committee on Opportunities in the
Nutrition and Food Sciences
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Contents
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
1 I NTROD UCTION
ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THE NUTRITION
AND FOOD SCIENCES
UNDERSTANDING GENETIC, MOLECULAR,
CELLULAR, AND PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES
4 E NHANCING THE FOOD SUPPLY
UNDERSTANDING DIET, HEALTH, AND DISEASE
RELATIONSHIPS
IMPROVING THE DIET AND HEALTH OF
INDIVIDUALS AND POPULATIONS
7 EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN THE NUTRITION
AND FOOD SCIENCES
SUPPORT OF THE NUTRITION AND FOOD SCIENCES
. .
XV11
tar
15
27
47
98
143
180
209
237
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xviii
SOURCES AND SUGGESTED READING
APPENDIXES
A ACRONYM S
B CONTRIBUTORS TO THE REPORT
C BIOGRAPHIES OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND STAFF
INDEX
CONTENTS
269
281
286
292
301
