Dr. Fiona Malcomson, PhD, PGDip, MRes, BSc (Hons) Malcomson
Key Takeaways:
- AICR Scientific Advisor Fiona Malcomson, PhD, attended the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) and shares her thoughts in this blog.
- Scientific meetings hosted by organizations like ASN provide valuable insights into where nutrition research is heading and how it may shape future guidance.
- Topics included healthy diets, ultra-processed foods, GLP-1 weight-loss drugs and more.
Each year, the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) Annual Meeting brings together researchers from around the world to share the latest nutrition science. This year’s meeting took place in National Harbor, Maryland, from July 25–28 and covered a wide range of topics from healthy aging to ultra-processed foods. Here are some highlights.
Healthy Dietary Patterns
A main message from several sessions at ASN was the importance of looking at the whole diet. Researchers discussed dietary patterns such as:
- Healthy Eating Index
- Plant-based diets
- Sustainable diets
Although these approaches differ, they all point to a similar idea: the quality of your overall diet matters more than any single food or nutrient. Rather than asking whether one food affects disease risk, researchers want to know how combinations of foods influence health over many years.
Ultra-Processed Foods: Where Does Science Stand?
Several sessions looked at the links between ultra-processed food (UPF) and obesity, metabolic health and cancer. Research is moving beyond asking whether UPFs are linked with poorer health to understanding why they are linked. This may be due to:
- Food processing
- Nutrition content of food
- Eating behaviors
- Too many calories
The why questions are not easy to answer. Several sessions focused on the challenges of studying UPFs. Researchers discussed:
- Different ways of measuring what people eat;
- Efforts to make UPF measurements more consistent; and
- New approaches to strengthen future research, such as controlled feeding studies.
One controlled feeding study looked at a minimally processed diet and markers of healthy aging in older adults. Studies like this are valuable because they can go beyond showing links. They start to test whether one factor may actually cause changes in another.
The Link Between Nutrition and Cancer Research Continues to Evolve
It is inspiring to see collaborative efforts of researchers from different fields, including public health, lab science and clinical research. Together, the studies add to the growing evidence on nutrition and cancer, from prevention through survivorship. The challenge is then translating research into practice through dietary guidance, healthcare, public policy and healthier food environments.
Three Exciting Areas of Research
Three fast-moving areas of nutrition science stood out at the meeting:
- GLP-1 weight loss medications: Studies are looking at how GLP-1s affect weight, muscle and fat, appetite and health. As these drugs become more widely used, new questions are being asked. For example, what are the long-term effects on diet, health and disease
- Gut bacteria: One session challenged the idea that diet greatly influences the bacteria that live in our gut. Researchers suggested that it may be more useful to study what these microbes do, how they work and how they affect our bodies, rather than only which bacteria are there.
- Artificial intelligence (AI): Researchers discussed how AI may help us measure what people eat and how food affects health. They also raised practical and ethical concerns about using AI.
Some of the findings will lead to new research questions. Others will add to the evidence that shapes future dietary guidance. AICR will continue to follow science and turn it into practical, evidence-based guidance to help you make informed choices for cancer prevention and survivorship.
