In an age of online misinformation, it has become increasingly imperative for healthcare professionals to provide patients with reliable, evidence-based recommendations to manage their overall health.

The symposium, Consensus or Controversy? Hot Topics in Nutrition 2026, on Saturday, June 6, at the 2026 Scientific Sessions, analyzed numerous trending topics that could have downstream implications for an individual’s diabetes management. On-demand access to recorded presentations will be available to registered participants through August 10.

Health supplements have transitioned from niche products to the mainstream, explained Kevin Klatt, PhD, RD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto, Canada. The supplements industry is valued at over $65 billion in the United States alone. The increasing pervasiveness of these products necessitates that providers engage with the individuals in their care who express curiosity rather than dismissing their questions outright to ensure individuals adhere to evidence-based care.

“Every clinician needs to be prepared to talk about supplements,” Dr. Klatt explained. “It’s an opportunity to both build trust with your patients—there are safety concerns that definitely come up—but it’s also an opportunity to lose trust with patients.”

However, engaging doesn’t mean telling people what they want to hear. While supplements are somewhat regulated, the level of oversight differs widely from the rigorously tested drugs clinicians typically prescribe. Supplements do not need to prove safety and efficacy before entering the marketplace, and the burden of proof falls on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to show a product is harmful before removing it from shelves. The FDA has a limited budget to oversee the entire supplements industry, which allows dubious products to enter the market.

Important risks for healthcare professionals to consider include potential allergic reactions and sensitivities, hepatotoxicity, and nutrient-drug interactions, in addition to the general unknown risks associated with individual supplement products.

Hillary Wright, MEd, RDN, LDN, Registered Dietitian and Director of Nutritional Counseling at Boston IVF’s Wellness Center, shifted the session’s focus to women transitioning into menopause, particularly weight gain, hot flashes, and their relationship to diabetes risk.

“We really need to go gentle on women in this transition because there’s so much stress culturally, on the internet, to not expect your body to change as you get older,” Ms. Wright explained. “So, when talking to women about the menopause transition, it’s really important to focus on positive messaging.”

One form of positive messaging would be to focus on the nutrient-rich foods that women in this population could add to their diet, rather than solely noting what they should remove. 

While a host of confounding, coexisting factors make it difficult to determine whether menopause directly increases the risk of diabetes, according to Ms. Wright, weight is the most important factor related to developing type 2 diabetes. Weight management is a common struggle for many women in perimenopause or menopause. In the United States, nearly two-thirds of women between the ages of 40 and 60 live with overweight—almost half live with obesity. During the menopausal transition, visceral adipose tissue increases from 5–8% of total body fat to 15–20%. Additionally, declining estrogen levels make it difficult to build and maintain muscle mass.

Physical activity is vital for this population to combat these factors. Ms. Wright clarified that research suggests a sedentary lifestyle may predict weight gain and abdominal obesity risk more so than aging and menopause.

“The reality is, most women are not getting even the basic 150 minutes of cardio and two episodes of strength training [weekly],” Ms. Wright said.

Vasomotor symptoms (VMS), or hot flashes, are also exceedingly common during menopause. According to Ms. Wright, a growing body of literature demonstrates that VMS may be linked to heart health, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes. The longitudinal cohort SWAN study showed that women with frequent VMS at baseline showed a 50% increased risk of later clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD). An increased risk of 77% was shown for those whose frequent VMS persisted over time.

“The conclusion is, persistent and aggressive hot flashes may represent a novel, female-specific CVD risk factor,” Ms. Wright said. Women exhibiting these symptoms warrant particular attention for CVD risk reduction and prevention.

Certain dietary measures can help women experiencing hot flashes, including avoiding alcohol, limiting caffeine, and experimenting with soy. Approximately 50 mg of isoflavones each day could provide relief.

Increased activity and resistance training can also provide relief. Exercise training and habitual physical activity can improve internal thermoregulation, resulting in a more efficient heat dissipation response.

Also during the session, Jessica Wilson, MS, RDN, with The Body Politic, Inc., explored whether unprocessed foods can have a place in the diet of people living with diabetes. Sherene Chou, MS, RDN, Director of Community Engagement for Food + Planet, shared insights for optimizing nutrition care delivery for immigrant and refugee populations. These two presentations are not available on the on-demand platform.

Save the date

Make plans to join us June 18–21, 2027, for the 2027 Scientific Sessions at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. Registration will open in January.