The authors from the Egas Moniz Center for Interdisciplinary Research, Portugal, noted that One Health will remain largely aspirational unless its principles are translated into everyday practice by health professionals and embedded in education, professional identities and health-system structures.
One Health recognizes that human, animal and ecosystem health are interconnected. The researchers argue that nutrition professionals are particularly well placed to put this approach into practice because they operate at the intersection of food, human behaviour, population health and environmental sustainability.
“Responding to this complexity requires the coordinated mobilization of all health professionals,” they wrote in the perspective article.
From individual diets to wider food systems
Nutrition is increasingly recognized as more than a matter of individual dietary choice. Dietary patterns, physical activity, environmental exposures, socioeconomic circumstances and access to healthy food can all influence the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and digestive disorders.
These factors are also closely connected. Socioeconomic inequality, for example, can limit access to nutritious food and opportunities for physical activity, while environmental change can disrupt food availability and increase exposure to health risks.
For the researchers, this makes nutrition a strategic entry point for tackling several challenges simultaneously.
A One Health approach could see dietitians supporting healthier eating patterns while also considering the economic, social and environmental conditions that influence what people eat. At community and population level, nutrition professionals can contribute to tackling food insecurity and improving food environments across schools, workplaces and public health programs.
“Dietitians are not merely participants in One Health initiatives but can also act as strategic leaders in developing and implementing integrated solutions that connect nutrition, population health and sustainable food systems,” the authors wrote.
An opportunity for the nutrition industry
The implications extend beyond clinical practice, with the authors highlighting the potential for dietitians to translate broad sustainability and health principles into practical dietary recommendations, public health programs, food policies and sustainable food strategies.
“By shaping how food is produced, accessed, chosen and consumed, dietitians contribute simultaneously to human health, animal welfare and ecosystem resilience,” they note.
This creates an opportunity for the nutrition sector to think beyond individual products and ingredients and consider their role within wider food systems—from sourcing and production through to consumer behaviour and health outcomes.
However, Fernandes et al. warn that putting One Health into practice will require a fundamental rethink of professional roles and boundaries. Rather than operating in silos, health professionals need to recognize their shared responsibility for addressing the social, economic, environmental and health factors that shape outcomes.
“A One Health perspective becomes operationally effective when health systems move beyond rigid role demarcations,” they wrote.
Breaking down professional silos
For the nutrition industry, this points towards greater collaboration across healthcare, food production, policy, academia and environmental sectors.
Ultimately, nutrition could provide one of the most practical bridges between human health and the systems that sustain it, giving dietitians, and the wider nutrition sector, a potentially pivotal role in turning One Health from a concept into action.
“By embedding One Health into nutrition education, interprofessional collaboration, research and evaluation frameworks, dietitians can move from implicit contributors to intentional leaders within One Health agendas,” the authors wrote.
“Strengthening this role is not optional; it is essential to addressing the interconnected challenges of chronic disease, environmental degradation and health inequities in a sustainable, systems-oriented manner.”
Source: Frontiers in Nutrition; doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2026.1884842; “Nutrition as a missing link in One Health: from conceptual invisibility to strategic action.” Authors: J. B. Fernandes, et al.
