Professor of Epidemiology, Adam Drewnowski concluded that more research is required to establish a link between workplace productivity and nutrition intervention reports Nutraceuticals World.
In his published review titled, “Impact of Nutrition Interventions and Dietary Nutrient Density on Productivity in the Workplace,” Drewnowski studied the role workplace productivity had and whether existing studies were right to assume that dietary intervention is one of several useful factors in predicting one’s productivity levels. However, in doing so, he found that studies have been poorly conducted in the past. In particular, he said:
“The one consistent underlying assumption was that planned nutrition-related interventions […] would improve workplace productivity in the long run. However, in most cases, workplace productivity was not measured.”
Some Future Work Suggestions
Given that he was astonished by the poor sampling designs presented in a number of studies, he has since provided some ways to close the void created by previous researchers. Here are some of his suggestions for future work on this respective topic:
- Food should also include dietary supplements
- Observational studies should include survey questions regarding workplace productivity and health outcomes
- Randomized controlled trials could be considered with health and productivity levels as outcomes
- The inclusion of workplace productivity measures so that changes can be compared in terms of small and national economies
Drewnowski’s review has been supposed by London-based, International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations (IADSA). That said, the Executive Director of IADSA has since commented on the findings, highlighting that steps can now be taken to address this gap in society’s knowledge. In particular, he said:
“His review lays the groundwork for a discussion about how we can address this knowledge deficit through targeted research. IADSA looks forward to engaging with stakeholders to explore how we can best achieve this.”
