Publications by authors named "Melissa Maitin-Shepard"

Food is Medicine (FIM) interventions reflect the critical links between food security, nutrition security, health, and health equity, integrated into health care delivery. They comprise programs that provide nutritionally tailored food, free of charge or at a discount, to support disease management, disease prevention, or optimal health, linked to the health care system as part of a patient's treatment plan. Such programs often prioritize health equity.

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Food and nutrition-related factors have the potential to impact development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and quality of life for people with ASD, but gaps in evidence exist. On 10 November 2022, Tufts University's Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and Food and Nutrition Innovation Institute hosted a 1-d meeting to explore the evidence and evidence gaps regarding the relationships of food and nutrition with ASD. This meeting report summarizes the presentations and deliberations from the meeting.

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Food and nutrition-related factors, including foods and nutrients consumed, dietary patterns, use of dietary supplements, adiposity, and exposure to food-related environmental contaminants, have the potential to impact semen quality and male and female fertility; obstetric, fetal, and birth outcomes; and the health of future generations, but gaps in evidence remain. On 9 November 2022, Tufts University's Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and the school's Food and Nutrition Innovation Institute hosted a 1-d meeting to explore the evidence and evidence gaps regarding the relationships between food, nutrition, and fertility. Topics addressed included male fertility, female fertility and gestation, and intergenerational effects.

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The evidence to support the benefits of exercise for people living with and beyond cancer is robust. Still, exercise oncology interventions in the United States are only eligible for coverage by third-party payers within the restrictions of cancer rehabilitation settings. Without expanded coverage, access will remain highly inequitable, tending toward the most well-resourced.

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International evidence-based guidelines support the prescription of exercise for all individuals living with and beyond cancer. This article describes the agenda of the newly formed Moving Through Cancer initiative, which has a primary objective of making exercise standard practice in oncology by 2029.

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To assess stakeholder perceptions of the impact and feasibility of 21 national, state, and local nutrition policies for cancer prevention across 5 domains in the United States. We conducted an online survey from October through December 2018. Participants were invited to take the survey via direct e-mail contact or an organizational e-newsletter.

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Evidence supporting physical activity, diet, and weight management for cancer survivors has grown, leading to the development of guidelines and interventions. The next step is to identify necessary practice and policy changes and to develop a research agenda to inform how interventions can be delivered to survivors most effectively and efficiently in health care settings and by community-based organizations. Here, an agenda is proposed for research, practice, and policy that incorporates recommendations for a range of programming options, a patient-centered, tailored screening and referral approach, and training needs for survivorship care providers and providers of exercise, nutrition, and weight management services.

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Physical inactivity has reached epidemic proportions in modern society. Abundant evidence points to a causal link between physical inactivity and increased risk for numerous noncommunicable diseases, such as some types of cancer and heart disease, as well as premature mortality. Yet, despite this overwhelming evidence, many individuals do not meet the recommended amount of physical activity required to achieve maximum health benefits.

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