Inadequate physician knowledge of the effects of diet on blood lipids and lipoproteins.

© 2003 Flynn et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article: verbatim copying and redistribution of this article are permitted in all media for any purpose, provided this notice is preserved along with the article's original URL. Background: To assess the nutrition knowledge of physicians on the basic effects of diet on blood lipids and lipoproteins. Methods: Anonymous mailed dietary knowledge surveys to 6000 randomly selected physicians in the United States licensed in either Internal Medicine or Cardiology. Results: Response rate: 16 % (n = 639). Half of the physicians did not know that canola oil and 26% did not know olive oil were good sources of monounsaturated fat. Ninety-three percent (84 % of cardiologists vs. 96 % of internists; p < 0.001) did not know that a low-fat diet, in general, would increase blood triglycerides. Approximately three-quarters (70 % of cardiologists vs. 77 % of internists; p < 0.01) did not know a low-fat diet would decrease HDL-c and almost half (45%) thought that a low-fat diet would not change HDL-c. Conclusions: If physicians are to implement dietary and cholesterol management guidelines, they will likely need to become more knowledgeable about nutrition.