NITI Aayog Calls for Nutrition Integration in Medical Education at AIIMS Symposium

Addressing the inaugural session of the national symposium "Lifestyle & Diet: Nutrition, Wellness and Clinical Practice" organised by the Department of Physiology, AIIMS New Delhi, in association with Food Future Foundation (FFF) under the aegis of the Coalition for Food Systems Transformation in India (CoFTI), Dr. Srinivas welcomed the participation of experts from multiple disciplines and highlighted the importance of collaborative discussions to address India's changing nutrition challenges.

Dr. Srinivas emphasised that nutrition, diet and healthy lifestyle education must be appropriately incorporated into medical curricula to prepare future healthcare professionals and strengthen preventive healthcare. He urged stakeholders to work collectively to enhance nutrition and lifestyle education and provide practical recommendations for a more comprehensive policy approach towards improving the nation's health.

The symposium brought together leading clinicians, nutrition scientists, medical educators, regulators and policymakers, including Dr. Nikhil Tandon, Director, AIIMS New Delhi; Dr. Govind Makharia, Associate Dean (Research), AIIMS New Delhi; and Mr. Pawan Agarwal, Founder and CEO, Food Future Foundation and Former CEO, FSSAI.

The discussions focused on how emerging scientific evidence can reshape medical education and clinical practice. A key highlight of the event was the release of the textbook "Nutrition, Diet & Lifestyle: Learning and Teaching Diet, Food, Nutrition & Lifestyle in Clinical Practice", edited by Dr. Raj Kumar Yadav, Dr. Alexander Thomas and Mr. Pawan Agarwal. The textbook was developed by a team of nutrition and lifestyle experts led by senior nutritionist Parisksha Rao.

In the foreword of the book, Dr. Srinivas stated that "scientific evidence now leaves little doubt that food, nutrition and lifestyle are among the most powerful determinants of health," while noting that these subjects receive "far less attention in undergraduate medical education than they deserve."

Describing nutrition as "an essential clinical competency for every doctor," Dr. Srinivas said the textbook combines physiology, nutrition and lifestyle medicine to help future physicians understand how everyday food and lifestyle choices influence health, disease and patient care. He expressed confidence that the book would become "a catalyst for strengthening nutrition and lifestyle medicine across medical education in India."

Dr. Ratna Sharma, Head, Department of Physiology, AIIMS, said developments in nutrition science and lifestyle medicine require a corresponding change in medical education. Dr. Raj Kumar Yadav, Professor of Physiology and lead editor of the textbook, said doctors must increasingly integrate medical treatment with nutrition and lifestyle counselling as part of routine patient care.

During the symposium, Prof. Sheffali Gulati and Prof. Vandana Jain delivered presentations focusing on paediatric age group dietary therapy in epilepsy, autism, obesity and metabolic dysfunction. Prof. Naval K. Vikram discussed skeletal muscles and metabolic health, while Dr. Ritesh Netam presented his research on high fat diet, obesity and neuroinflammation.

A major scientific session examined healthier food reformulation and the role of monosodium glutamate (MSG) in reducing sodium intake without compromising taste. Dr. Miro Smriga, Chairman, International Glutamate Technical Committee (IGTC), shared international experiences demonstrating how evidence-based reformulation is helping improve public health in several countries.

Prof. HN Mallick discussed MSG, while Dr. Trina Sengupta presented findings from a recent systematic review published in Frontiers in Nutrition, concluding that MSG is safe for the general population, including infants, pregnant women and lactating mothers.

The symposium witnessed participation from several renowned faculty members, clinicians and scientists, including Prof. Girija Prasad Rath (AIIMS), Prof. Rajesh Khadgawat (AIIMS), Dr. SubbaRao MG (Scientist G, National Institute of Nutrition, ICMR), Ms. Anuja Agarwala (Senior Dietitian), Prof. Vimal Katiyar (IIT, Guwahati), Prof. Jamuna Prakash (University of Mysore), Prof. Komal Chauhan, Prof. Seema Puri, Prof. Eram S Rao (University of Delhi) and Prof. Pulkit Mathur (Lady Irwin College).

Mr. Pawan Agarwal, Founder and CEO, Food Future Foundation, said the symposium marks the beginning of a larger national effort to bridge the long-standing gap between nutrition science and clinical medicine.

The symposium concluded with a broad consensus that strengthening nutrition and lifestyle medicine within medical education is essential for developing a more preventive, patient-centred and wellness-oriented healthcare system in India.