More Than 9 In 10 Primary Care Physicians Say U.S. Health Care System Should Place Greater Emphasis On Nutrition To Manage Chronic Disease

Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Also Included In: Preventive Medicine
Article Date: 11 Jun 2009 – 5:00 PDT

Ninety-six percent of primary care physicians believe the nation’s health care system should place more emphasis on nutrition to treat and manage chronic disease, according to a new survey released today. However, only 12 percent believe physicians currently pay significant attention to nutrition in the context of chronic disease.

“The good news is physicians know nutrition therapy can improve health outcomes,” said registered dietitian Jane V. White, PhD, LDN, RD, FADA, with the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine, who partnered with the American Dietetic Association on the survey. “Now, it’s time to move nutrition services to the forefront in prevention and management of chronic disease.”

In the survey, nutrition services were defined as referral to a registered dietitian or recommendation of specific nutrition products.

“Nutrition is more than just eating a healthy diet; for patients with chronic disease nutrition acts as therapy to help them heal faster, respond better to medical care and control their disease,” White said.

“Registered dietitians and doctors have long known the intrinsic value of nutrition services for their patients,” said registered dietitian Martin Yadrick, MS, MBA, RD, FADA, immediate past-president of the American Dietetic Association. “It is now important for lawmakers to recognize the benefits as well and include them as covered benefits in health care reform.”

The national online survey of 400 primary care physicians was conducted by Hart Research Associates in association with the American Dietetic Association and the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine. The results were presented June 10 at a briefing on Capitol Hill attended by nutrition advocates, physicians, researchers and chronic disease organizations.

The findings are especially significant as Congress addresses health care reform and increases the focus on preventive care. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), chronic disease accounts for 75 percent of the $2 trillion the U.S. spends annually on health care. Nutrition has been shown to be highly cost-effective in preventing and managing chronic disease, but nutrition services are not a routinely covered health care benefit. In the survey, almost half (46 percent) of physicians agreed the provision of routine nutrition services definitely would be cost effective, while another 44 percent said it would probably be cost effective.

Nearly half of all adults in the U.S. have at least one chronic disease. Primary care physicians are nearly unanimous in their belief that nutrition is a key element in chronic disease: An overwhelming 94 percent of the doctors surveyed believe that nutrition plays a major role in prevention, and 95 percent say nutrition plays a major role in chronic disease management and treatment. On average, they estimate that two in three of their adult patients who have chronic disease would benefit from nutrition services. If the costs were reimbursed by a third-party payer, almost all of the physicians (94 percent) say they would refer more of their patients with chronic ailments for nutrition services than they do now.

Former Senator George McGovern, who has been a prominent advocate for improving nutrition worldwide, encouraged policymakers to take the benefits of nutrition into account in health care reform.

“As Congress takes up health care reform, it is important that the benefits of nutrition therapy be fully recognized. Investments in nutrition research, nutrition programs and nutrition therapy would provide dividends to the taxpayer. Nutrition services should be included in the Medicare program, and in any basic benefit package developed as a result of health care reform,” said Sen. McGovern.

The abstract of a new study conducted by researchers at the Ohio State University Center for Health Outcomes, Policy and Evaluation Studies (HOPES) was also released at the briefing. The study, which has been submitted for publication, examined the cost effectiveness of therapeutic nutritional supplements (TNS) in the treatment of pressure ulcers, wounds, and burns. The researchers conducted economic modeling comparing the costs of TNS treatment to the savings from forgoing treatments that would be necessary if TNS was not used. Preliminary results indicate savings from the use of TNS for these conditions could be nearly $1 billion annually in the U.S.

Both studies were conducted with support from Abbott Nutrition, a division of Abbott, the global health care company.

About the American Dietetic Association

The American Dietetic Association is the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. ADA is committed to improving the nation’s health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education and advocacy.

Source: American Dietetic Association

In the fast paced world that we live in it can be easy to neglect our health and wellness. We’re so busy racing through our day to day lives – family, friends, work, social engagements – that we don’t take the time to look after ourselves. It’s really no wonder that so many of us are tired and run down. What are some simple things that we can do to improve our quality of life?

Drink Drink Drink!

You’ve heard it a million times and you’ll probably hear it a million more – drink more water!

Think about it: The human body is over 70% water.  A 5% drop in fluids creates a 25-30% loss in energy. A 15% drop in fluids can cause death! At this point in time 66% of us aren’t drinking enough water, so over half the population isn’t running on all six cylinders to begin with – even before things like bad air, bad food and stress take their toll.

It’s not really a difficult thing to remedy. Just drink one glass of water every half hour or s, or 10-12 glasses of water per day, and you’ll notice a huge jump in your energy levels.

Living Food & Loving Life!

A little known fact is that heating food above 116°F destroys much of the nutrient content. Considering that we already aren’t eating enough veggies, that’s a fairly substantial problem. Nutritionists recommend five serves of fresh vegetables per day. How many of us are actually taking that advice?

A great way to get the nutrients found in fresh veggies without spending all day at stove or eating raw celery sticks is to juice your veggies. Make sure that you own a good juicer (some juicers expose vegetables to heat created by friction during juicing, which breaks down important enzymes), grab some fresh vegetables and drink your way to good health. It takes a fraction of the time (there’s no cooking involved, for one thing) and it’s convenient. You can take your juice to work and even give some to the little ones for school lunches!
Wheatgrass in particular is an excellent source of nutrition. It’s high in chlorophyll (sometimes described as “plant blood” because it closely resembles human red blood cell molecules) and has over 100 elements that the body needs. Fresh grains are another excellent source for vitamins and minerals.

Energy In & Energy Out

Exercise is another dirty word for most of us. The thing is, exercise doesn’t have to be horribly time consuming or mind-numbingly boring. There are plenty of options.
Years ago gyms usually offered weight rooms, aerobics classes and maybe a hydro-circuit. Now you can add water aerobics, yoga, pilates, dance-ercise, step classes and a whole range of new workout options.
If you don’t really have the time or money for the gym, or prefer to spend your mornings/nights at home, then try an exercise bike or walker. Once you’re physically unfit, and particularly if you’re also unwell, it can be a mammoth battle to just do the most minimal amount of exercise in a day. The danger is that inactivity leads to further loss of energy, which becomes a self-perpetuating cycle until you can barely get off the couch.

An excellent way to get back into a physical routine is to start slowly. Ridiculously slowly, it may seem. For the first couple of weeks, walk/ride for 5 minutes per day – exactly 5 minutes, no more, even if you think you could continue. When the 2 weeks are up, increase to 7 minutes, then 10 minutes, 12 minutes. Continue to gradually increase your activity until you’re at a level that you’re comfortable with.
It may sound a little silly, but it works. In effect, you trick your body into producing more energy. You’re building your exercise time up so slowly that your body doesn’t really realize what’s happening. Follow this method and, before you know it, you’ll be comfortably exercising within your limits every day.

So, folks, that’s the basics. If you can rearrange your life a little to allow for better eating habits and a little exercise, and if you remember to just drink a glass of water every half hour or so, you’ll be well on the way to living a healthy life. On a final note, don’t forget to take some quiet time for yourself. Meditating is an excellent way to minimize stress. You don’t have to sit around for hours, just give yourself 5 minutes of quiet time every day, even in the shower, if that’s the only place where you can get time out, and have a little catch up with yourself.

And, last but by no means least, laugh! In fact, laugh like a loon, the louder the better! You’ll be amazed at how much such a simple thing can lift your spirits!