NUTRITION CONCEPTS FOR THE PRIMARY-CARE GENERALIST PHYSICIAN

Important nutrition concepts will aid primary care/generalist physicia ns to implement practical aspects of health promotion and disease prev ention in their practice, and improve the overall health of their pati ents. In today's society, chronic diseases that are related variably t o overnutrition and dietary excesses or imbalances (obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, som e cancers) warrant knowledgeable diet modifications in high-risk indiv iduals. However, serious nutritional deficiency diseases also still oc cur (as in alcoholic patients), and instituting appropriate diet and s upplements will aid in preventing further morbidity and mortality. Nut rition knowledge changes with new scientific evidence, and the physici an must be aware of reliable sources of continuing education and infor mation appropriate for the practitioner and the patient.