This is an updated and expanded edition of a 2014 post on diet and workplace health, revised with current research and data.
What was a promising theory a decade ago is now backed by an overwhelming body of evidence: what employees eat directly affects how often they get hurt, how badly they are injured, how long they stay out of work, and how much their claims ultimately cost.
The Diet-Injury Connection and Its Impact on Claims
The link between poor nutrition, obesity, and workers' compensation costs is no longer speculative. A Duke University Medical Center analysis found that obese workers filed twice the number of workers' compensation claims, had seven times the medical costs, and lost thirteen times more workdays than non-obese workers. Workers with a BMI over 40 filed nearly 11.65 claims per 100 workers, compared to just 5.8 per 100 among those at a healthy weight.
The financial impact is staggering. According to the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, workers' compensation costs for major injuries averaged approximately $470,000 for obese workers compared to $180,000 for those at a normal weight. An NCCI research brief found that medical costs for claims with an obesity comorbidity were three times greater at 12 months, four times greater at 36 months, and more than five times greater at 60 months than comparable non-obese claims.
These conditions—diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and musculoskeletal disorders—aggravate, accelerate, and exacerbate traumatic injuries and occupational diseases. They are largely preventable through better nutrition. A 2024 Healthesystems survey of workers' compensation stakeholders found that 65 percent of respondents identified comorbidities as the number one barrier to injured worker recovery, and obesity is among the most prevalent.
The Mediterranean Diet: Proven Workplace Medicine
In 2014, the Harvard School of Public Health convened a landmark conference on the Mediterranean Diet and Workplace Health, presenting evidence that a "Healthy Plate" approach leads to healthier workers. In the years since, the research has only strengthened.
A 2025 umbrella review of randomized controlled trials found that the Mediterranean Diet can reduce the risk of fatal cardiovascular disease by 10 to 67 percent and non-fatal cardiovascular events by 21 to 70 percent. The landmark PREDIMED trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, demonstrated that participants following a Mediterranean diet enriched with extra virgin olive oil or nuts experienced a 30 to 40 percent reduction in major cardiovascular events.
Meta-analyses of workplace dietary interventions have shown significant reductions in body weight, BMI, body fat percentage, and cardiovascular biomarkers, including cholesterol and blood pressure. The American Heart Association has confirmed that workplace nutrition interventions have the highest positive effect on health behaviors, with studies showing decreased absenteeism and lower healthcare costs.
The New Frontier: GLP-1 Medications in Workers' Compensation
One of the most significant developments since the original post is the emergence of GLP-1 receptor agonist medications such as Wegovy and Mounjaro. According to Paradigm, usage of GLP-1 medications among catastrophically injured workers grew from 1 percent in 2020 to 5 percent in 2024, and the trend is accelerating. While these drugs show promise for addressing obesity-related complications in injured workers, they carry costs of $1,000 to $1,500 per month and side effects that are not yet fully understood. The workers' compensation system is now grappling with whether and when these medications should be authorized as part of a treatment plan.
The FDA Catches Up
In December 2024, the FDA updated the definition of "healthy" on food labels for the first time since the 1990s, shifting focus from individual nutrient thresholds to food groups and dietary patterns consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This new framework aligns more closely with the Mediterranean diet model by recognizing that nutrient-dense foods like nuts, seeds, and fish belong at the center of a healthy plate—even if they contain higher levels of fat. The compliance deadline is February 25, 2028.
What Employers Can Do Now
Employers who invest in workplace nutrition programs are investing directly in claims reduction. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health recommends evidence-based workplace strategies including: providing nutrition education led by dieticians, replacing sugar-loaded vending machines with fresh fruits and vegetables, offering Mediterranean diet-aligned options in workplace cafeterias, and integrating nutrition counseling into employee wellness programs. The Workforce Nutrition Alliance also provides a practical employer guide for implementing healthy food programs.
While workers' compensation is the system that pays for the consequences of an unhealthy workplace, the Healthy Plate approach provides a proactive strategy for making workplaces healthier. Healthy eating will reduce—and potentially eliminate—the need for workers' compensation in many instances.
Jon L. Gelman of Wayne NJ is the author of NJ Workers' Compensation Law (West-Thomson-Reuters) and co-author of the national treatise, Modern Workers' Compensation Law (West-Thomson-Reuters).
© 2010-2026 Jon L. Gelman, All Rights Reserved.
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