How Much Do Doctors Know About Nutrition?

· ·
4.9/5 - (21 votes)

Who won in a head-to-head test of nutrition knowledge––doctors or patients?

Discuss
Republish

Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.

Humanity’s diet is the single leading cause of death, exacting an even greater health burden than smoking. This makes sense since we are what we eat. Literally, physically. If we continue to rebuild our body every day with shoddy materials, it’s no wonder we run into trouble. For example, not eating enough fruits and vegetables is blamed for millions of deaths every year. We should eat fruits and vegetables as if our lives depended on it, because in a way, it appears they do.

Most Americans may be suffering from diet-related diseases, yet most are not being educated about nutrition from their doctors. Maybe that’s actually a good thing, given how little doctors tend to know about nutrition? Physicians are typically seen as trustworthy sources of nutrition by the general public, but in a head-to-head test of nutrition knowledge, doctors versus patients, though physicians should be more knowledgeable about nutrition than their patients, these results suggest that this is not necessarily true. And we all know how little the general public knows about nutrition.

The American diet is the number one cause of death in the United States, yet doctors average less than 20 hours of nutrition training––and that’s mostly like the biochemistry of vitamins. The amount of clinical nutrition training they get may be less than five hours. Take cardiology, for example. Dr. Ornish’s landmark lifestyle heart trial asked the question: “Can lifestyle changes reverse coronary artery disease?” and the answer was a resounding yes. If just that tidbit alone was understood and internalized by internists, think how many lives could be saved from our leading cause of death and disability. Yet 90 percent of surveyed cardiologists reported receiving little or no nutrition education during their cardiology training. There appears to be insufficient nutrition training in medical training across the board—a global deficiency. The low-hanging fruit in medicine remains on the vine.

And for those doctors who say they don’t have time, physicians don’t need to do their own diet counseling any more than they need to perform their own x-rays or blood draws. But they must recognize the role nutrition plays in disease, communicate it clearly to the patient, and refer the patient appropriately.

The diet that Dr. Ornish used to help reverse the progression of heart disease was whole-food, plant-based nutrition––a diet primarily, but not exclusively, composed of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Why isn’t there more widespread acknowledgement of the power of plants in the medical community? One potential reason is that the science has yet to make its way into the teaching materials. Yes, Dr. Ornish made this discovery decades ago, but sometimes it can take decades for medical practice to catch up, even when millions of lives are at stake.

Nowadays, it would be unthinkable not to address patients’ smoking, because it’s just been incorporated into the standard of care. The evidence on nutrition has yet to be similarly lionized, but “[t]his should not prevent thoughtful and caring clinicians from applying safe and effective nutritional interventions that are not ‘ahead of the evidence’ but only ahead of the [published] guidelines.” Ignorance of nutrition is no longer defensible.

There are a growing number of resources for those who missed out in med school. Doctors can get board certified in lifestyle medicine. There are some great websites out there. Like PCRM’s “Nutrition Guide for Clinicians.” More great websites.

Yes, it would be nice not to be a hypocrite and eat more healthfully yourself, rather than just learning about healthier diets. But that shouldn’t stop anyone from recommending it, if only because it is the only diet that has ever been shown to help reverse the progression of the number one killer of men and women. So, people should not be denied such knowledge. Now look, it’s their body, their choice. Just like many smokers will continue to smoke, many will continue to eat junk, but this should not prevent clinicians from advising smoking cessation and a healthier diet. Patients have the right to be told the truth. Not mentioning this powerful dietary tool is an act of withholding crucial information necessary for fully informed consent

Unfortunately, out of ignorance, what many doctors are telling their patients to eat may be killing them. Some doctors used to smoke with their patients. In fact, most doctors themselves smoked, just like most doctors today continue to eat foods that are contributing to our epidemics in dietary disease. Until doctors are taught more about nutrition, their advising people about their diet could be considered a form of physician-assisted suicide.

Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.

Motion graphics by Avo Media

Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.

Humanity’s diet is the single leading cause of death, exacting an even greater health burden than smoking. This makes sense since we are what we eat. Literally, physically. If we continue to rebuild our body every day with shoddy materials, it’s no wonder we run into trouble. For example, not eating enough fruits and vegetables is blamed for millions of deaths every year. We should eat fruits and vegetables as if our lives depended on it, because in a way, it appears they do.

Most Americans may be suffering from diet-related diseases, yet most are not being educated about nutrition from their doctors. Maybe that’s actually a good thing, given how little doctors tend to know about nutrition? Physicians are typically seen as trustworthy sources of nutrition by the general public, but in a head-to-head test of nutrition knowledge, doctors versus patients, though physicians should be more knowledgeable about nutrition than their patients, these results suggest that this is not necessarily true. And we all know how little the general public knows about nutrition.

The American diet is the number one cause of death in the United States, yet doctors average less than 20 hours of nutrition training––and that’s mostly like the biochemistry of vitamins. The amount of clinical nutrition training they get may be less than five hours. Take cardiology, for example. Dr. Ornish’s landmark lifestyle heart trial asked the question: “Can lifestyle changes reverse coronary artery disease?” and the answer was a resounding yes. If just that tidbit alone was understood and internalized by internists, think how many lives could be saved from our leading cause of death and disability. Yet 90 percent of surveyed cardiologists reported receiving little or no nutrition education during their cardiology training. There appears to be insufficient nutrition training in medical training across the board—a global deficiency. The low-hanging fruit in medicine remains on the vine.

And for those doctors who say they don’t have time, physicians don’t need to do their own diet counseling any more than they need to perform their own x-rays or blood draws. But they must recognize the role nutrition plays in disease, communicate it clearly to the patient, and refer the patient appropriately.

The diet that Dr. Ornish used to help reverse the progression of heart disease was whole-food, plant-based nutrition––a diet primarily, but not exclusively, composed of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Why isn’t there more widespread acknowledgement of the power of plants in the medical community? One potential reason is that the science has yet to make its way into the teaching materials. Yes, Dr. Ornish made this discovery decades ago, but sometimes it can take decades for medical practice to catch up, even when millions of lives are at stake.

Nowadays, it would be unthinkable not to address patients’ smoking, because it’s just been incorporated into the standard of care. The evidence on nutrition has yet to be similarly lionized, but “[t]his should not prevent thoughtful and caring clinicians from applying safe and effective nutritional interventions that are not ‘ahead of the evidence’ but only ahead of the [published] guidelines.” Ignorance of nutrition is no longer defensible.

There are a growing number of resources for those who missed out in med school. Doctors can get board certified in lifestyle medicine. There are some great websites out there. Like PCRM’s “Nutrition Guide for Clinicians.” More great websites.

Yes, it would be nice not to be a hypocrite and eat more healthfully yourself, rather than just learning about healthier diets. But that shouldn’t stop anyone from recommending it, if only because it is the only diet that has ever been shown to help reverse the progression of the number one killer of men and women. So, people should not be denied such knowledge. Now look, it’s their body, their choice. Just like many smokers will continue to smoke, many will continue to eat junk, but this should not prevent clinicians from advising smoking cessation and a healthier diet. Patients have the right to be told the truth. Not mentioning this powerful dietary tool is an act of withholding crucial information necessary for fully informed consent

Unfortunately, out of ignorance, what many doctors are telling their patients to eat may be killing them. Some doctors used to smoke with their patients. In fact, most doctors themselves smoked, just like most doctors today continue to eat foods that are contributing to our epidemics in dietary disease. Until doctors are taught more about nutrition, their advising people about their diet could be considered a form of physician-assisted suicide.

Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.

Motion graphics by Avo Media

Doctor's Note

For more about medical ethics, see:

If you haven't yet, you can subscribe to our free newsletter. With your subscription, you'll also get notifications for just-released blogs and videos. Check out our information page about our translated resources.

Subscribe to our free newsletter and receive “In Dr. Greger’s Kitchen,” an excerpt from The How Not to Age Cookbook.

Previous Video

Friday Favorites: Pomegranate - A Natural Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis and More

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This