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M Nestle

Publications and source records attributed to M Nestle.

51 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Leadership in clinical dietetics: meeting the challenge to roles in nutritional support.

The success of efforts to improve nutrition training of other health professionals poses a threat to the position of clinical dietitians as authorities in nutrition. In situations in which no dietitians are present or dietitians' skills are not recognized, pharmacists and nurses are especially likely to take over nutritional support roles traditionally assigned to the clinical dietitian. At the University of California, San Francisco, where dietitians are included in nutrition education and patient care programs and where understanding of the role of the dietitian is a stated educational goal, a preliminary survey suggests that conflicts occur in roles that are shared by members of nutritional support teams. Factors contributing to role conflicts include not only inadequate education of other health professionals but also problems of job expectations, education, training, and self-image among dietitians. Improved training in clinical nutrition, acquisition of better team and patient care skills, documentation of the effectiveness of dietetic services, and efforts to improve status and visibility would help alleviate role conflicts and ensure clinical dietitians a more rewarding place in the health care system.

Allied Health Personnel↗

Epidemiology as a guide to clinical decisions--II. Diet and coronary heart disease.

Should clinicians prescribe fat-controlled diets to prevent coronary heart disease (CHD), and, if so, which patients should be given this advice? In this report, we use a three-step model to explain the hypothesis that dietary fats are a cause of CHD: dietary saturated fat and cholesterol raise serum cholesterol levels (step 1), which are a cause of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis (step 2), and, in turn, clinically manifest CHD (step 3). An evaluation of the scientific evidence for each step leads us to conclude that dietary fats definitely influence the level of serum cholesterol, and that serum cholesterol is probably a cause of atherosclerosis and CHD. To determine the clinical implications, we examined the potential of various foods to keep cholesterol levels lower, as well as the projected magnitude of reduction in CHD risk. The likelihood of benefit varies among patients, ranging from uncertain or trivial (for those with lower serum cholesterol levels, those who are free of other risk factors and the elderly) to substantial (for patients with higher serum cholesterol levels, those who have other risk factors and those who are young). This analysis supports an individualized approach to clinical management; each decision to prescribe a fat-controlled diet should be a judgment that depends on art-the therapeutic philosophy of each clinician and the particular needs of each patient-as well as on science. The implication for public health policies is that they should promote rather than a uniform eating pattern for all Americans, a uniform environment that enhances individual choices. This should include efforts to educate the medical profession and the public, and more comprehensive and informative foodlabeling practices.

Adult↗

Halting the obesity epidemic: a public health policy approach.

Traditional ways of preventing and treating overweight and obesity have almost invariably focused on changing the behavior of individuals, an approach that has proven woefully inadequate, as indicated by the rising rates of both conditions. Considering the many aspects of American culture that promote obesity, from the proliferation of fast-food outlets to almost universal reliance on automobiles, reversing current trends will require a multifaceted public health policy approach as well as considerable funding. National leadership is needed to ensure the participation of health officials and researchers, educators and legislators, transportation experts and urban planners, and businesses and nonprofit groups in formulating a public health campaign with a better chance of success. The authors outline a broad range of policy recommendations and suggest that an obesity prevention campaign might be funded, in part, with revenues from small taxes on selected products that provide "empty" calories-such as soft drinks-or that reduce physical activity-such as automobiles.

Adolescent↗

Soft drink "pouring rights": marketing empty calories to children.

Healthy People 2010 objectives call for meals and snacks served in schools to contribute to overall diets that meet federal dietary guidelines. Sales in schools of foods and drinks high in calories and low in nutrients undermine this health objective, as well as participation in the more nutritious, federally sponsored, school lunch programs. Competitive foods also undermine nutrition information taught in the classroom. Lucrative contracts between school districts and soft drink companies for exclusive rights to sell one brand are the latest development in the increasing commercialization of school food. These contracts, intended to elicit brand loyalty among young children who have a lifetime of purchases ahead of them, are especially questionable because they place schools in the position of "pushing" soft drink consumption. "Pouring rights" contracts deserve attention from public health professionals concerned about the nutritional quality of children's diets.

Adolescent↗

The Surgeon General's report on nutrition and health.

The most important accomplishment of the Surgeon General's Report is its establishment of a sound scientific basis for dietary recommendations for chronic disease prevention. From this foundation, all levels of government, the food industry and the nutrition profession should be able to develop programs and policies that put dietary recommendations into common practice.

Dietary Fats↗

National nutrition objectives for the years 1990 and 2000.

Development of nutrition objectives for the years 1990 and 2000 forms an important part of a national strategy to reduce preventable health risks. These initiatives present an opportunity for nutrition professionals to define priorities for nutrition in preventive health care and to establish the nation's nutrition policy agenda for the next decade.

Health Policy↗

The selling of olestra.

The Procter & Gamble Company spent 30 years and an estimated $500 million to bring its non-digestible fat substitute, olestra, to market. The Food and Drug Administration approved olestra as a food additive but requires products containing olestra to carry a warning statement about its potential effects on gastrointestinal function. In obtaining approval for olestra, P&G conducted a lengthy, persistent, and comprehensive campaign to enlist support from members of Congress; FDA staff; and food, nutrition, and health professionals. This campaign raises larger questions about corporate influence on government policies, and the relationships of corporations to health professionals. To address these larger concerns, the author reviews the history of olestra's approval; describes P&G's campaign to obtain support from FDA and Congress, to defend olestra against critics, and to market it to professionals, the press, and consumers; and suggests implications for public health policies.

Advertising↗