Why Shouldn't Doctors Just Rely On Registered Dietitians?

Americans are told constantly that they are too fat, that their cholesterol is too high, and that their standard American diet is "SAD". Obesity is said to influence almost every chronic disease from cancer to diabetes to hair loss, so diet and nutrition would seem to be a key medical concern. 

Even so, many of our conversations with our doctors run something like this:

Patient: Should I take a multivitamin?

Doctors: I don't know. Go ask your dietitian.

Patient: Is yogurt good for you?

Doctor: I don't know. Go ask your dietitian.

Patient: Is everything I have been reading about magnesium (or hoodia, or coenzyme Q10, or the supplement of your choice) true?

Doctor: I don't know. Go ask your dietitian.

Most patients don't really want to ask their dietitians for advice. 

There is at least one major flaw in this approach. Most Americans don't have access to a dietitian except when they are in hospital, and usually not face to face even then. 

So is there any hope that American doctors will ever master the fundamentals of human nutrition? If nutrition educators at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have their way, they will.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina asked officials at over 100 American medical schools how much time was spent covering nutrition in their classes, and learned that only about one-quarter of medical schools offered even 25 hours — half a week — of nutrition study in their four-year curricula. 

To help medical schools bridge the gap between what doctors need to know about nutrition and what they are being taught, the University of North Carolina developed a series of nutrition training modules they now offer online. Medical students and doctors can access the Nutrition in Medicine program for in-depth information on nutritional supplements, the role of nutrition in cancer, pediatric obesity, and nutrition for the elderly.

"Physicians have enough barriers trying to provide their patients with nutritional counseling," registered dietitian and chief educator for the project Kelly M. Adams told the New York Times. "Inadequate nutritional education does not need to be one of them."

Fortunately, the University of North Carolina is no longer alone in providing innovative nutritional training for doctors. Texas Tech University, which has its medical students spent their first two years on its main campus and then sends them out to hospitals, provides its students with training both in their classroom training and in clinic. Texas Tech has its students learn to treat diabetes patients by managing their own diets and practicing giving themselves "insulin" injections with a real syringe. 

See Also: Just Say No To Sugar

Encourage your doctor's continuing education. Don't shy away from asking tough questions about nutrition. And if your doctor starts prescribing supplements — and the medical testing that can tell you whether or not they are actually working — follow your doctor's advice. You have that still-rare doctor who offers you the best of medical and nutritional treatment. When your doctor writes you a prescription for nutritional healing — and some actually do — pay attention.