What Your Gp Knows Or Doesn't About Nutrition
and why you need a second opinion
According to the World Health Organization nutrition is a critical part of health and development. Better nutrition is related to the improved infant, child and maternal health, stronger immune systems, safer pregnancy and childbirth, lower risk of non-communicable diseases (such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease), and longevity.
In Australia, nutrition advice is dictated by the Australian Dietary Guidelines. The ADG is under review since, amongst other issues, more than six out of 10 Australian adults overweight or obese, overweight and obesity are the largest risk factors contributing to the non-fatal burden of disease, responsible for 13% of Australian deaths in 2015 and 7.3% of the total disease burden.
The healthcare costs associated has been estimated that overweight and obesity cause an annual productivity loss of $13.7 billion
One person from whom Australians should be able to get trustworthy dietary advice is their general practitioner (GP). A 2019 survey of 657 GPs and registrars confirmed that 87% of GPs frequently or very frequently provide advice on nutrition and physical activity.
Unfortunately, the same survey revealed that just one in five of these GPs is using the ADG to do this, and 54% reported being unfamiliar/very unfamiliar with the ADG or had never heard of them.
A 2014 survey of 300 nationally representative GPs indicated that only 13% of GPs were familiar with the 2013 ADG one year after their launch, a level similar to the general population.
Yes, a level similar to the general population, means you know the same about nutrition than your GP.
This challenge starts in medical school. A systematic review of nutrition in medical education from Australia examining the nutrition education undertaken by medical students, highlighted medical students’ limited knowledge of nutrition guidelines and/or confidence to counsel patients about nutrition.
For better answers contact Dietitians Australia or search directly for dietitians here
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