Introduction to and Perspectives from the Symposium on Nutrient Disease Relationships: Closing the Scientific Knowledge Gap

The U.S. Congress through the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 authorized the use of health claims on food labels. These claims describe the relationship between a substance and a disease or health-related condition. In addition, Congress directed the U.S. FDA to apply a significant scientific agreement standard in approving these claims. Since 1990, the FDA has approved several health claims, but has also denied claims that did not meet this standard. The purpose of The Nutrient Disease Relationships: Closing the Scientific Knowledge Gap symposium was to provide researchers with perspectives to keep in mind when designing studies that examine the relationship between a nutrient and a disease or health-related condition, to help close the scientific knowledge gap for nutrient-disease relationships of scientific, consumer, and public health interest.