A team of local and international experts in nutrition shared recent trends and the latest research into the impact of diet on health on a new course offered by Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q).
Organised by WCM-Q’s division of global and public health, the 50-hour intensive Certificate in Clinical Nutrition Course gave 51 healthcare professionals, educators, researchers and dieticians enhanced knowledge of key issues relating to nutrition and health.
Through a series of presentations, discussions and workshops, WCM-Q said participants learned about the impact on health of popular nutritional and herbal supplements, elimination and anti-inflammation diets, Mediterranean-style dietary habits, veganism and vegetarianism, and the role of nutrition in the causation and management of chronic conditions such as obesity, cancer and diabetes.
“When conceptualising the course, our attention was drawn to two noteworthy observations. One, even today, very few healthcare professional schools around the world provide adequate instruction in nutrition and lifestyle medicine to their students,” associate dean for Global and Public Health and course director Dr Ravinder Mamtani said.
“For example, a 2014 study in The American Journal of Medicine cited a survey of medical schools that found an average of fewer than 20 hours over four years devoted to nutrition education,” he said.
“Two, there is overwhelming evidence that unhealthy food choices are linked to many chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Therefore, ignoring nutrition in our evaluation and management of our patients or clients is simply not an option,” Mamtani added.
The WCM-Q course gives detailed instructions on how to plan healthy nutrition regimens for all types of individuals, including children, pregnant and lactating women, and the elderly.
All attendees who completed the course, which was held on four consecutive Saturdays, were awarded the Certificate in Clinical Nutrition.
The course consisted of 32 hours of direct, on-site contact at WCM-Q and another 18 hours of self-study using online course materials.