Why refer your patients to a Registered Dietitian (RD)?

• The American College of Cardiology has identified heart healthy diets as critical for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk reduction and recommends physicians provide dietary guidance to those at risk for or with established CVD. 
   

• In an anonymous survey distributed to physicians (140 IM and 96 cardiologists) at NYU Langone Medical Center, respondents rated nutrition as important as statins for CVD risk reduction, yet only 13.5% agreed or strongly agreed they were adequately trained to discuss nutrition with patients.
   

• The majority of physicians (57.7%) spent 3 minutes or less counseling about diet and lifestyle modifications.
   

• Physicians believe diet is important in CVD prevention, but practical knowledge and self-reported training in nutrition is suboptimal. 

 

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Results of the Look AHEAD Trial
The Action for Health in Diabetes (Look AHEAD) is a randomized trial comparing the effects of Intensive Lifestyle Intervention (ILI) focused on weight loss achieved through healthy eating and increased physical activity versus a control condition of Diabetes Support and Education (DSE) in overweight and obese individuals with type 2 diabetes.

 

The Look AHEAD Extension (LA-E) will examine whether ILI, provided for ten years by registered dietitians (RDs) during mid-life, has enduring benefits that persist beyond the period of the intervention for older individuals with diabetes.
 

Key findings:

• Wt loss -6.15% vs -0.88% in control group (P<.001)

• Improved treadmill fitness (% METS) 12.74% vs 1.96% (P<.001)

• Improved A1C level -0.36% vs 0.09% (P<.001)

• Greater proportion of intervention group met HgA1C, blood pressure, and lipid goals vs. control group