According to a study published in the Nutrition Journal, medical doctors from three different specialities use nutritional supplements frequently in their personal life. A clear majority of physicians are also prescribing supplements as part of their clinical practice.

These data were generated by a study called “Life….Supplemented” Health Care Professionals Impact Study. It was conducted by on-line survey in 2008, and was sponsored by a prominent nutritional supplement trade group.

This research continues to demonstrate that American physicians are about as likely to use nutritional supplements as any other group of adults. It also demonstrates an openness about using them in clinical settings that has grown quickly over the last generation.

Of the many interesting tidbits hidden in the fine print in this study, I find myself drawn to the observation that only 72% of cardiologists recommend nutritional supplements in their practice. Given that the American Heart Association is recommending use of fish oil supplements by large parts of the population (people known to have coronary artery disease, people with high triglyceride levels), either 28% of the cardiologists are ignorant of or choosing not to comply with an important public health recommendation.

Another interesting bit of fine print is the finding that cardiologists are more likely to take a nutritional supplement to help their heart, while orthopedic doctors are more likely to take them to help with joint health.

It is possible that this is just a reflection of doctors taking their work home with them, or being afraid to be stricken with the conditions that they see regularly during their rounds. Maybe, but I also think this may be due to the long observed bias about translating research findings on nutrient therapies into textbooks and the teaching curriculum. Therefore, knowledge about nutrient therapies stays locked in the group from which it arose.

I believe that the way the surveys were distributed and in the broad ways that supplement use was defined, the numbers generated are likely to overestimate the results. But even if this bias is pretty strong, it still looks crystal clear that the use of nutritional supplements in the conventional medical world has gone mainstream, even as clinical nutrition continues to get short shrift in the medical education process.

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