USDA Launches New Virtual Nutrition Center of Excellence

It’s the USDA's latest effort to meet the goal of reducing cancer death rates in the United States by 50% in the next 25 years.

“The establishment at USDA of the virtual agricultural Science Center of excellence for nutrition and diet for better health, or ASCEND for better health.”

Agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack announced the virtual center this week.  He said this research will focus on what he calls precision nutrition as a tool to prevent diet related chronic disease like cancer.

"The bottom line is that we need to develop a more precise understanding of how we interact with food, what factors influence our food choices and how our genetics and environment lead to specific health related outcomes especially in historically underserved populations.” 

Studies by the World Cancer Research Fund indicates between 30 to 50% of all cancer cases are preventable via a healthy lifestyle and diet.

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