Military nutrition research: Contemporary issues, state of the science and future directions

ABSTRACT

The importance of diet and nutrition to military readiness and performance has been recognized for centuries as dietary nutrients sustain health, protect against illness, and promote resilience, performance and recovery. Contemporary military nutrition research is increasingly inter-disciplinary with emphasis often placed on the broad topics of (1) determining operational nutrition requirements in all environments, (2) characterizing nutritional practices of military personnel relative to the required (role/environment) standards, and (3) developing strategies for improving nutrient delivery and individual choices. This review discusses contemporary issues shared internationally by military nutrition research programmes, and highlights emerging topics likely to influence future military nutrition research and policy. Contemporary issues include improving the diet quality of military personnel, optimizing operational rations, and increasing understanding of biological factors influencing nutrient requirements. Emerging areas include the burgeoning field of precision nutrition and its technological enablers.

KEYWORDS:

• Diet quality
• macronutrients
• personalized nutrition
• microbiome
• sex differences
• military performance

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the authors of all of the many excellent and relevant publications that could not be cited due to space restrictions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Disclaimer

All opinions or assertions contained herein are the private views of the authors and are not to be construed as official or reflecting the views of the United States Army, the United States Department of Defense, the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence, or the New Zealand Defence Force. Any citations of commercial organizations and trade names in this report do not constitute an official Department of the Army endorsement or approval of the products or services of these organizations. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited