Doctors Group Praises N.Y. Legislature for Passing Legislation to Create Nutrition Education Resource Library for Physicians and Urges Governor Hochul to Sign Into Law

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a national nonprofit with more than 17,000 doctor members, applauds the New York Senate for unanimously passing legislation to ensure physicians are kept informed about the latest continuing medical education opportunities in nutrition. The bill, S4401-A, sponsored by Senator Lea Webb (D-Broome County), would help doctors in the state improve patient health outcomes and reduce racial disparities for the millions of New Yorkers struggling with diet-related diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The New York Assembly unanimously passed a companion measure, A5985-A, sponsored by Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal (D/WF - Manhattan), last month.

“Nutrition is powerful for health, and, with this legislation, doctors will take that power in hand. Healthy diets, especially plant-based diets, can reverse heart disease, trim waistlines, and reverse diabetes,” said Neal Barnard, MD, FACC, President of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. “I applaud Senator Lea Webb and Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal for their continued leadership on this issue, and I urge Governor Hochul to swiftly sign this bill into law to get these educational resources to New York’s doctors as soon as possible.”

S4401-A / A5985-A would require the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) to maintain and regularly share with physicians an online resource library with information about the availability of continuing medical education (CME) coursework and training in nutrition, including resources regarding racial disparities in outcomes for diet-related diseases.

“This legislation closes a gap that currently exists in physician training, ensuring that doctors are equipped to deliver comprehensive and up-to-date information to their patients regarding nutrition and diet-related illnesses, including resources regarding racial and other disparities in health outcomes,” said Senator Lea Webb. “To lower the risk of heart disease and other health issues, we must empower folks with education about the dangers of diets filled with sugar, salt, and saturated fats by increasing equitable access to education about the importance of healthy diets.”

“Despite the fact that millions of New Yorkers suffer from heart disease, diabetes, and other diet-related conditions, many of New York's physicians have not received any training related to nutrition and its importance relative to patients' health and well-being,” said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal. “I am proud that my legislation to create a resource library for physicians showing the different continuing education courses available to them on nutrition, including plant-based diets, has passed both houses and will soon land on the Governor's desk. I thank the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine for their partnership in this effort and look forward to seeing the bill signed into law and used to help reduce diet-related diseases.”

Heart disease—strongly linked to diets high in saturated fat and cholesterol—is the leading cause of death in New York. Diabetes is also of particular concern for New Yorkers. The NYSDOH estimated in November 2022 that 1.58 million adults in New York State have been diagnosed with diabetes (10.3%), nearly doubling the incidence of diabetes in the state since 2000 (6.3%).

Despite alarming trends in diet-related diseases, 75% of medical school curricula do not include the minimum number of hours in nutrition coursework recommended by the National Research Council. However, a poll of New York State physicians found that 90% of respondents think nutritional guidance should be a routine part of patient visits and 82% would discuss nutrition if they had more training. S4401-A / A5985-A will close this gap and help ensure physicians in New York have access to up-to-date information about available continuing medical education coursework in nutrition.

Founded in 1985, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is a nonprofit organization that promotes preventive medicine, conducts clinical research, and encourages higher standards for ethics and effectiveness in education and research.