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Don’t Be Naive About Nutritionist Credentials
The Food That Drops 10 Pounds!” “The Fruit that Will Make You Fat!” These are the nutrition articles you often see, offering you “expert” advice on what to eat and why. The formula is more about getting your attention than reporting facts. How are you supposed to differentiate the real from the fake?
I recently had a very healthy teenager, a regular patient, come to my office. The patient, was 5’9 and 240 pounds of muscle and was well-appreciated on his high school teams for his strength and speed. He told me how he had met with a nutritionist. She had informed him how he could lose 50 pounds in two months so he could compete as a welterweight in mixed martial arts competitions.
I am required to show respect to my colleagues in all medical specialties and subspecialties. it is also my nature to listen before I pass judgement. After all, my profession, chiropractic, spent many years being ostracized and rejected before it slowly made itself a part of the mainstream of medicine (albeit “alternative” medicine).
I will admit that I was leery of her advice. I do not think it is reasonable to drop that kind of weight in two months without intense supervision, a close monitoring of his diet, and observation to verify the feasibility of reaching this goal.
My patient was unable to tell me her credentials or where she went to school. Like many people, they assume that the person they are talking to is allowed to give the advice that they do. Frankly, anyone can tell you anything and charge you for the information without really knowing what they are talking about.
As an aside, I know of one MD who treats patients as a psychiatrist. She is not board-certified, she simply (and legally) states that her practice has a “concentration in psychiatry”.
There are no laws that are being broken. Legally, any MD can perform any kind of medicine, no matter how unskilled they may be in that area of medicine, simply by graduating from an accredited medical school. The fact that most MDs do a residency and take board certifications is because they feel that they need to know more to do a credible job in that area of medicine, but it is not required to be board-certified in any state in the US.
The newspapers are filled with stories of MDs who are board-certified in anesthesiology who are performing spine surgeries, Internists doing liposuction, and so on. Please find out if the doctor you choose to consult with about the procedure or insight that you need has sought the training to be an expert.
About nutritional advice, Start with these five tips.:
1. Look beyond the headlines, which are more about shock and awe than delivering on the promise. For example, “Top Five Foods that Fight Belly Fat,” may not necessarily be the top five or fight belly fat. They may just be healthy foods.
2. Check credentials. A journalist doesn’t have to be a nutritionist to write a nutrition article, but he or she should quote experts and credible sources to support any claims that are made. If the writer doesn’t offer any expert proof, consider the story an opinion piece, rather than reported news.
3. Study studies. Some nutrition studies are funded by groups with vested interests, such as a study on soda funded by a beverage company. Also, pay attention to the number of study participants. The term “cohort study” means the group was large, which could be a good thing. If a study is called “small,” it may be really small, as in a handful of people, and not worth reporting on.
4. Beware of marketing tactics. The terms, “National bestseller” or “Highly acclaimed” are more about advertising than credibility. And their claims are often based on testimonials rather than hardcore facts.
5. Choose expert-reviewed sources. Look for, “Reviewed by…” at the top of the page, and an R.D.N., M.D., M.P.H., or Ph.D. at the end of that expert’s title. Well-established media outlets, such as WebMD, EverydayHealth, and US News & World Report, are reviewed by governing bodies. Or you could get the news straight from the experts themselves. Some favorite sources include, The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, The International Food and Information Council, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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