Physicians go to high school, don’t they? They get the same nutrition classes everyone else does, and then they go on to get more training some time in med school. So it’s true that a physician would get more training in nutrition than a layperson (though still far less than someone specialized in the field, of course).
Dieticians =/= Nutritionists. Dieticians have minimum educational standards with quite a bit of science, have clinical or internship experience, and must pass a nationwide exam, do continuing education and are considered registered/licensed medical professionals. Nutritionists may have an degree or advanced degree in Nutrition, or may have taken a weekend workshop once. Dietitian vs Nutritionist - Difference and Comparison | Diffen
I am not contesting that someone who’s gone through years of a specialized curriculum and received an approved degree in nutrition science has a better overall knowledge of nutritional issues and practical training than most physicians, and would be better suited to drawing up meal plans and diets for people at risk/in extended care and hospital inpatient settings, and potentially in the ability to conduct nutrition-related research. The two professions are complementary.
What I have refuted is this silly comment (no “putting words in your mouth”):
It’s not “a layman’s knowledge” no matter how you slice it (even if you have a loose definition of “nutrition-related specialty”). There are also (in addition to classes formally labeled “nutrition”) med school courses in human physiology, biochemistry and pharmacology which touch extensively on nutrition-related subjects (including the role of lipid metabolism in cardiovascular disease and treatment/prevention related to it. And I’m not sure why you keep omitting mention of further training and experience in nutrition-related issues a physician has during residency training and practice. I submit that your knowledge of what goes into physician education is deficient.
And you think that’s equivalent to what the average physician knows? :dubious::):p:D
Maybe you should consider some of Dr. Oz’s calming remedies (he’s one of those people who’d agree that physicians are grossly ignorant about nutrition, particularly the nutritional woo of which he’s so fond).
Let’s compare again what I actually said in my initial post on the issue versus what you claim I said:
Nowhere do I say anything about “deficiency disease or other ailment physicians are inflicting on their patients”, so you can stop fucking lying your fucking ass off about it and take your idiotic pendantism about whether twenty hours of training makes one an expert on nutrition, fold it until it is all corners, and shut the holy fuck up about it.
Stranger
<mod hat on>
That’s too much, Stranger. You know better than that.
Warning issued for accusing another poster of lying and a personal attack.
</mod hat off>
In a huge generalization, as of course every course of study differs, and even within one course of study, different students may choose different electives or even different topics for papers/projects/presentations, the amount of nutrition related information required for medical professionals is:
Registered Dietician>Nurse Practitioner>Registered Nurse>Medical Doctor=Physician’s Assistant
This should not at all be taken to mean that MDs know no more than the layperson. They absolutely do, especially about nutritional deficiencies and the impact of disease process on nutrition. But no, they don’t get a lot of practice with meal planning or nutritional counseling. Nurses get more, and dieticians get more than nurses.
Maybe this will help:
If a doctor prescribes, say, warfarin, he will generally tell the patient to eat a consistent amount of foods high in Vitamin K. Then a nurse will give the patient a list of foods high in Vitamin K (either from her head or a typed handout) and explain more about *why *the patient should eat a diet consistent in Vitamin K, and the need for regular blood testing. If the patient needs more assistance, a Registered Dietician can help her plan meals for a month with a consistent amount of Vitamin K in each week’s meals.
At any of those stages, of course, you may find an individual doctor or nurse who knows enough and has enough time and patience to do the others’ job, but in Test World (that perfect, orderly place that exists only on board exams), that’s the way the job duties break down.
This is the old CW, but it has more recently been called into serious doubt:
FWIW, I’ve heard the “floating poop means you are getting enough fiber” canard from a lot of nutritionists.