Physicians Interested in Learning More About Supplements
PHYSICIANS INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT SUPPLEMENTS
A study has found 57 to 75% of physicians use dietary supplements; and 66 to 91% recommend supplements to their patients.
Most doctors indicated their medical education had not included any formal training on dietary supplements and expressed an interest in continuing education regarding these products.
The study included 300 cardiologists, 300 dermatologists and 300 orthopedists; the percentage of each specialty that took dietary supplements occasionally was 57, 75 and 73%, respectively; the percentage of each specialty that took supplements regularly was 37, 59 and 50%, respectively.
The most common supplement taken by physicians was a multivitamin. Over 25% of doctors in each specialty took omega-3 fatty acids and over 20 percent reported they used botanical supplements.
Patients were advised to take specific supplements by 72% of cardiologists, 66% of dermatologists and 91% of orthopedists.
The main reasons given for recommending supplements were for heart health; skin, nail & hair health; and bone & joint health.
This study was released March 3, 2011 and will be published in a future issue of Nutrition Journal. It is available online now at http://bit.ly/hjL5mx without charge.
Vitamin D Levels Low In Rheumatic Patients
Three separate studies paint a worrisome picture of vitamin D deficiencies among patients of rheumatic diseases. Rheumatic disorders are those of the joints and connective tissue and include rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and lupus, among others.
Two new studies found deficient vitamin D levels in these patients. But a third new study found deficiencies of vitamin D still remained in most patients even after supplementation for six months, with 800-1000 IU. This suggests that vitamin D is a common finding in rheumatic patients and that supplementation with 800-1000 IU is insufficient to normalize levels.
Would higher levels of supplementation work? The researchers report that the answer is not yet clear. All three studies were separately presented June 18 at EULAR 2010, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism, in Rome. They have not been published yet.