VIDEO: How agriculture can be the solution to chronic diseases

BOSTON — Researchers are taking a closer look at the entire agriculture and food value chain and hope to make significant changes that will improve human health and reduce the burden of chronic conditions.

Patrick J. Stover, PhD, director of the Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture (IHA) at Texas A&M, spoke about the topic during this year’s W.O. Atwater Memorial Award Lecture. He noted that, historically, agriculture has been geared toward addressing hunger. Now, the emphasis is on health outcomes.

In an interview with Healio, Stover went into depth about the three main research areas of the IHA: precision nutrition, responsive agriculture and behavioral research.

He also talked about his own research, which centers around the use of folic acid in pregnancy to reduce the risk for neural tube defects.

Reference:

• Stover PJ. The W.O. Atwater Memorial Award Lecture: Enhancing the purpose of food. Presented at: NUTRITION; July 22-25, 2023.