Dietary Dilemmas, Delusions, and Decisions

One of the most frequent questions gastroenterologists are asked about is diet, health, and disease; and some of the questions gastroenterologists are least comfortable answering are about diet, health, and disease. This disconnect occurs for several reasons. Although the subject of nutrition is taught in medical school, it usually covers malabsorption of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that have limited relevance to the concerns of most patients. The modern physician does not see many cases of scurvy or beri beri. Physicians make decisions and recommendations from evidence-based medicine. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of sound data on diet and gastrointestinal diseases, forcing physicians to operate outside their comfort zone.