Speaking to BBC Radio 4's The Food Programme, Dr Rangan Chatterjee, author and podcast host, said: "The health landscape of the UK has dramatically changed over the last 30 or 40 years and I think the bulk of what I see as a GP now - almost 80% - is in some way driven by our collective lifestyles."
Ally Jaffee, co-founder of Nutritank, an online nutrition resource for medical students, said students are taught only 10 to 24 hours over five to six years in medical school on nutrition.
Presenter of the television show Trust Me I'm A Doctor, Dr Michael Mosley, echoed these sentiments. He said: "Unfortunately it's not part of the traditional training. At medical school I learnt almost nothing about nutrition. And I have a son at medical school and it's again not part of his key curriculum.”
Stewart McKenzie, chair of the Hospital Caterers Association (HCA), comments: “The HCA believe that good nutrition and hydration is vital to aid recovery therefore this needs to be in their work plan. This needs to be an integral element of a medical students training. Medics should have the knowledge to be able to advise patients on diet and lifestyle choices to improve their health and prevent illness.”
This month, the British Medical Journal announced it will launch a journal on the science and politics of nutrition in June 2018.