Dear Colleagues and Friends,
On behalf of the Scientific Program Planning Committee, the International Advisory Board, and the Local Organizing Committee, it is our great pleasure to welcome you to the 8th International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition (8ICVN).
As we gather for the 8ICVN, we celebrate a remarkable milestone—40 years since the inaugural Congress. Over the past four decades, this International Congress has become the premier global forum dedicated to advancing the science of vegetarian and plant-based nutrition. Bringing together leading researchers from around the world, the Congress has played an important role in shaping the evidence base that informs dietary guidance, clinical practice, and public health recommendations.
Many concepts that are now central to nutrition science—including the role of plant-based dietary patterns in chronic disease prevention, the health benefits of nuts, legumes, whole grains, and other foundational plant foods, and the shift from nutrient-focused recommendations toward dietary patterns and diet quality—have been presented, debated, and refined through this Congress.
Today, the field has entered an exciting new era. Advances in epidemiology, clinical trials, precision nutrition, multi-omics, food systems research, healthy aging, and planetary health are transforming our understanding of how plant-based dietary patterns can promote health across the lifespan while contributing to a more sustainable future.
Guided by an exceptional International Advisory Board and Scientific Program Planning Committee, we have developed a forward-looking scientific program featuring many of the world’s leading researchers. Together, they will explore topics spanning longevity and healthy aging, Food as Medicine, foundational whole plant foods, metabolic health, cognition, precision nutrition, and planetary health.
Beyond presenting the latest scientific discoveries, our goal is to foster collaboration, inspire innovation, and identify the research priorities that will shape the future of plant-based nutrition.
For the first time in the history of the Congress, the 8ICVN will be offered in a hybrid format, allowing participants from around the world to join us either in person at Loma Linda University or virtually.
We warmly welcome you to the 8th International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition and look forward to your participation.
Joan Sabate, MD, DrPH and Sujatha Rajaram, PhD
Congress Co-Chairs
