When I was working on the book, I used a number of studies as references to cite from. I thought I would post some of them, along with what I took away as the important points from them for those who aren’t interested in reading the entire study, or just don’t have the time. I’ll post the entire abstract, then my thoughts, and, of course, a link to the entire study at the end for those interested.
Keep in mind there are LOTS of numbers, figures, etc. involved even in my bullet points as I break it down. LOTS. If you want it broken down very, very simply, here you go:
Contacts at 106 med schools in the US (most of which were the nutrition instructors themselves) filled out a 12-question survey about nutrition training in their school in 2004. The average number of hours spent in nutritional instruction is 23.9 hours, most hours are taught in the first two years of medical school, 3/4 of nutritional instruction occurs outside of a dedicated nutrition course, and most instructors feel the instruction in nutrition is inadequate.
If you want the specifics, keep reading.
This first study is a study from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published in 2006.
Status of nutrition education in medical schools
Kelly M Adams, Karen C Lindell, Martin Kohlmeier, and Steven H ZeiselABSTRACT
Background: Numerous entreaties have been made over the past 2 decades to improve the nutrition knowledge and skills of medical students and physicians. However, most graduating medical students continue to rate their nutrition preparation as inadequate.
Objective: The objective was to determine the amount and type of nutrition instruction of US medical schools, especially including the instruction that occurs outside designated nutrition courses.
Design: A 12-item survey asked nutrition educators to characterize nutrition instruction at their medical schools (required, optional, or not offered) and to quantify nutrition contact hours occurring both inside and outside designated nutrition courses. During 2004, we surveyed all 126 US medical schools accredited at the time.
Results: A total of 106 surveys were returned for a response rate of 84%. Ninety-nine of the 106 schools responding required some form of nutrition education; however, only 32 schools (30%) required a separate nutrition course. On average, students received 23.9 contact hours of nutrition instruction during medical school (range: 2-70 h). Only 4 schools required the minimum 25 h recommended by the National Academy of Sciences. Most instructors (88%) expressed the need for additional nutrition instruction at their institutions.
Conclusion: With the move to a more integrated curriculum and problem-based learning at many medical schools, a substantial portion of the total nutrition instruction is occurring outside courses specifically dedicated to nutrition. The amount of nutrition education in medical schools remains inadequate. Am J Clin Nutr
For a long time, I’ve been recommending CorOmega somewhat blindly — based on recommendations from others and blood tests of other bypassers showing great results using the product, but without actually trying it.
While in Vegas, I had the opportunity to speak to the CorOmega rep, try all of the flavors (one of while is missing from the above photo — sorry!), and arrange a special blood testing for myself to kind of get an idea how these affect bypassers. More about that later.
Coromega says:
Welcome to Coromega! We believe Omega-3 is essential to good health and that’s why we developed the first delicious Omega3 in a convenient, single-serve Squeeze. Coromega is not a pill! Our Omega3 Squeeze is a tasty burst of goodness with 2 essential fatty acids, DHA and EPA, and a clinically proven 300% better absorption than regular softgels. Bioavailability Study. The best part? Coromega is a supplement that is actually delicious!
Calci-yuuuuum!
Bariatric Advantage has just released a new flavor of calcium, and there is all sorts of buzz online about them.
I first got to try them in Las Vegas at the WLSFA event. At the time, I thought they were okay, but certainly not wonderful. However, I didn’t have enough of a sample to do a full review. Ed over at BA was kind enough to send me a bag, along with my favorite (lemon!!) and I was given more of a chance to do a full review.
BA says:
Our Calcium Citrate Chewy Bites deliver 250 mg of elemental calcium as calcium citrate in a delicious chew. They also contain 125 IU of vitamin D3 for healthy absorption. These chews are sugar-free as well, so you don’t have to worry about getting extra carbs while you get the calcium you need. Each chew is individually wrapped so you can take them with you wherever you go.
Wonder Iron
It’s no secret that I’ve had issues with my iron. I’ve tried super high doses of carbonyl iron without any response.
These are the numbers I started out with, and then a few updates along the way:
12/2/2009
HGB – 12.6 (12.0 – 18.0 g/dl)
HCT – 39.7% (37.0 – 51.0%)
Ferritin – 11.1 (11-137 ng/ml)
Iron – 41 (37 – 170 ug/dl)
TIBC – 310 (265 – 497 ug/dl)
Iron Saturation – 13% (20-55%)1/4/2010
HGB – 13.13 (12.0 – 15.0 g/dl)
HCT – 38.21% (35.0 – 49.0%)
Ferritin – 16.3 (6 – 81 ng/ml premenopausal *which seems odd cause post is 14-186….?*)
Iron – 45 (28 – 182 ug/ml)
UIBC – 326 (130 – 375 ug/dl)
TIBC – 371 (180 – 545 ug/dl)
Iron Sat – Not measured3/8/2010
TIBC – 344 ( 250-450)
UIBC – 255 (150-375)
Serum Iron – 89 (35-155)
Iron Sat – 23% (15-55%)
Ferritin – 23 (10-291 — with a notation that they are changing to 13-150 for Females)
The first video is done. Of a sort.
A quick (and boring) discussion as to how and why lab tracking is important.
