Empowering Medical Students: Unveiling the Benefits of Nutrition Seminars and Plant-Based Diets in Medical School Education

Abstract

Background: Whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) dietary patterns can be used as a lifestyle modification to lower blood pressure and lose weight. This study aimed to observe the effects of WFPB dietary patterns and improve nutrition education in medical school. Methods: Forty-six medical students participated in the four-week Plant Plunge challenge, which consisted of a pre- and post-challenge health screening, weekly nutrition seminars, and the personal challenge to eat more WFPB. Afterward, an anonymous survey was sent to participants to analyze nutrition education quality in medical school. Results: The Wilcoxon Signed Rank test indicated statistically significant improvement in weight and blood pressure (BP) (N = 33). The median (interquartile range) difference in weight from pre- to post- was -.9 (-2.2, .0, P < .0461) pounds, whereas the differences in systolic and diastolic BP were -5.0 (-9.0, -.5, P < .049) and -7.0 (-11.0, -2.0, P < .0037) mmHg, respectively. Participants were significantly more likely to advocate for the integration of nutrition information into the medical school curriculum (P = .0162). Conclusions: Short-term lifestyle modifications with WFPB dietary patterns help reduce weight and BP. Incorporating nutrition seminars in medical education may improve long-term patient outcomes.

Keywords: medical school curriculum; nutrition education; nutrition seminars; plant-based diets.

Figure 1.

Participants’ overall change in health screening parameters from pre- and post-health screening data.

Figure 2.

Pre-health screening and post-health screening data of (a). systolic blood pressure, (b). diastolic blood pressure, and (c). weight.