We have been interested in the intersection between nutrition and substance use disorder for many years. David Wiss has published several peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on this topic. There has been some progress in the field, but we are still lacking prospective research which shows that nutrition can improve addiction-related outcomes. This is a difficult task because these trials require long-term follow-up which is not always easy with this population. We are hoping to see more evidence in this arena, and happy to help out if anyone is interested in conducting research. We hypothesize that nutrition interventions can improve depressive symptoms via the gut-brain axis.
Recently David Wiss recorded a 19-minute recap of his work in this area. Check it out and please let us know if you have any thoughts about the intersection between nutrition and substance use disorder.
The main paper discussed in the video “Staff-Perceived Barriers to Nutrition Intervention in Substance Use Disorder Treatment” has been published in the prestigious Public Health Nutrition journal and be accessed HERE.
David Wiss
David became a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) in 2013 and founded Nutrition in Recovery, a group practice of RDNs specializing in the treatment of eating and substance use disorders. In 2017, David received the “Excellence in Practice” award at the national Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo. The California Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics awarded him the “Emerging Dietetic Leader Award” in 2020. He earned his PhD from UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health in the Community Health Sciences department (with a minor in Health Psychology) by investigating the links between adverse childhood experiences and various mental health outcomes among socially disadvantaged men. His treatment philosophy is based on a biopsychosocial model which incorporates an understanding of biological mechanisms, psychological underpinnings, and contextual factors that integrate the social determinants of health. His website Wise Mind Nutrition offers a fully online interactive treatment program that will be available in the Summer of 2022.