Better health through improved nutrition can increase Americans' quality of life, productivity, and learning potential and can reduce health care costs. Research is needed to determine the optimal nutrient intakes for people from all subpopulations and the role of dietary factors in the development and prevention of obesity and chronic diseases. Research to determine the relationships between diet and genetic regulation and between diet and fitness on health is required to establish nutrient needs of individuals. Underlying the research objectives is a continued need to better understand the function of individual nutrients and naturally occurring protectants in foods and their interactions, and to develop reliable indicators of nutritional status and health. New methodologies, including those in molecular and cellular biology, have the potential to create new and more reliable indicators of nutrient status and predictors of nutrient needs.
Objectives Determine the role of diet in obesity and eating disorders.
Determine the role of dietary intake in energy balance, weight control, obesity, and eating disorders. Investigate diet-health relationships. Increase understanding of the role of diet in maintaining and enhancing health and reducing the occurrence and progression of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and osteoporosis. Establish optimal nutrition for diverse populations. Determine nutrition for optimal health and performance for diverse populations during critical stages of the life cycle, including infancy, youth, pregnancy, lactation, and advanced age.