AMA Offering New Nutrition Science Course for Physicians

The American Medical Association (AMA) is offering a three-hour online nutrition course for physicians to help patients make the nutritional changes they need to prevent and help treat heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

The AMA, in partnership with the Gaples Institute for Integrative Cardiology, has developed the course for physicians. The interactive, self-paced program provides evidence-based information that physicians need in order to initiate effective conversations with patients. The course starts with an underappreciated fact: Dietary factors are the most significant risk factor for disability and premature death in the United States.

The course comprises four modules, which address different issues. The first module examines the importance of nutrition for patients, including scientific evidence supporting how diet can prevent and help treat certain conditions. The second module explores dietary fats and their impact on health. The third module relates to carbohydrates and proteins, including the impact of artificial sweeteners on blood glucose. The final module offers skill-building experience to help physicians use the knowledge gained in the other modules.

"There is a great need for doctors to talk to their patients about nutrition, but most physicians haven't had the training they need," Stephen Devries, MD, executive director of the Gaples Institute for Integrative Cardiology, said in a statement.

Source: Health Day