In a recent Editorial,1 The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology highlighted the burden of underlying metabolic diseases in the ongoing global health crisis of COVID-19. When facing a life-threatening condition such as COVID-19, it is important that patients have the strength and reserve to recover from the acute phase of illness while also being prepared for the likely burdensome rehabilitation phase they will face later on. In both these phases, nutrition is of paramount importance.
The Editorial notes the relationship between obesity and hospitalisation risk with COVID-19 while reporting on conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. All of these conditions have strong links to both dietary patterns and lifestyle behaviours. Likewise, although lesser noted, underweight individuals are also at risk of being immunocompromised and therefore have an increased susceptibility to infections.2 It is thought that there will be a multi-stage impact of COVID-19 where we would need to look at the role of nutrition in acute treatment, in recovery, and in prevention of chronic conditions that increase susceptibility to infection. Medical professionals must also consider the influence of nutrition on mental health. However, doctors and medical students are ill-equipped to assist patients in making informed nutritional decisions.
A recent publication3 highlights the pressing need for greater education on nutrition within medical curricula. It describes how more than 95% of medical students and doctors believe that doctors play a vital role in nutritional care, yet more than 70% reported that they received less than 2 h nutrition training while at medical school. The study found that lack of knowledge was the main barrier to advising patients on nutrition. Bearing in mind the paramount importance of nutrition, this is simply unacceptable.
Barriers to increased medical nutrition education include already-full teaching schedules and limited student engagement, with only 68% of students believing that there is a need for increased nutrition education within their curriculum.3 In the context of COVID-19, the importance of nutrition has only increased—we must overcome the barriers to greater medical nutrition education to improve the metabolic health of citizens.
Acknowledgments
We declare no competing interests.
References
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