How can the scientific community support the generation of the evidence needed to improve the quality of guidelines for micronutrient interventions?

The process used by the WHO to generate nutrition recommendations relies on high-quality research evidence, and this makes new demands on the research questions that nutrition scientists address. As a researcher involved in WHO nutrition guidelines development, my objective is to suggest ways in which our research can adapt to meet these demands. Randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews generate the highest quality of evidence to support strong recommendations, yet even these methods leave controversies in which judgments must be made. Using examples from recent research and guidelines, 4 issues are highlighted that illustrate ways in which nutrition research can adapt to become more useful and informative to global nutrition guidelines. These issues include embedding mechanistic research within trials, explicit choice of design along the efficacy or effectiveness spectrum, anticipation of heterogeneity of effects, and the need for research on consumer or community values and preferences.