Riman Al Assal

PBHL213
Practical Assignment

Dietitians are Essential in Public Health

A dietitian is an expert that is well knowledgeable about human diets and nutrition.
Nutritionists/ Dieticians are healthcare professionals who are licensed and are able to diagnose
and treat nutrition related problems like malnutrition , obesity and others etc.. Dietitians are
known for their importance in public health due to their major contribution and role in
minimizing and helping individuals with certain health problems (especially the ones suffering
from chronic diseases ) through a specific diet.

When talking about dietitians, one should keep in mind that they help promote healthy
lifestyles for the long run through better nutrition for the individuals who need it and not only
temporarily. It is also agreed that public health dieticians help reduce and significantly prevent
diet related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by helping individuals make their best food and
drinks choices , making sure that they meet their nutritional needs and avoid the foods that could
deteriorate their health ( European Federation of the Association of Dieticians , 2017).For
example, it is important to elaborate and explain the role of a dietitian in helping a person with a
specific chronic disease like cardiovascular diseases for example. Speaking of cardiovascular
diseases , they include several disorders like hypertension, heart failure, coronary heart disease
etc.. According to WHO, it has also been found that cardiovascular diseases are the number one
leading cause of deaths globally where around 17.9 million lives are lost because of CVDs which
accounts for 31 % of deaths worldwide (2020). Keeping in mind that the main behavioral risk
factors of CVD includes an unhealthy diet, high cholesterol levels and hypertension, this sheds
light on the urgent need for a dietitian to regulate and improve the health of people suffering
from CVD or are at high risk of having CVD later in life , through diet. Tackling cardiovascular
diseases through improved diet ( decreasing the intake of saturated fats ) is considered a primary
health prevention and is very effective in preventing CVDs in a certain country . For example, a
dietitian aims to decrease the total fat and cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels in a person
suffering from CVD because these high quantities of fatty deposits might build-up in arteries and
reduces the flow of oxygen in the blood to one’s heart resulting in a heart attack. A dietitian
would suggest replacing full-fat yogurts and milk with low-fat products and would also
recommend to avoid fried foods and fast foods because they contain huge quantities of oils (fats)
which need to be lessened. Also a patient with CVD would be advised to consume limited
portions of sugar because it was found that sugar increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes
which increases the risk of hearts strokes and diseases. It also increases the risk of obesity, thus
the risk of CVDs as well, and sugar may increase blood pressure by increasing the accumulation
of sodium in the body (How Sugar Affects The Heart, 2020). In addition, the DASH diet stands
for Dietary Approaches to Stopping Hypertension and it is a specific diet that reduces
hypertension which is one of the factors of CVDs. In a review, it was found that the
DASH diet led to lower 20% of the risk of heart disease in women and 29% lowers the
risk of stroke in women too (Healthline,2018).A dietitian usually recommends DASH diet
to people having hypertension, so she/he would ask them to increase the intake of fruits
and vegetables, grains (usually whole grains) and make sure to moderately consume lean
poultry and fish because some fatty fish like tuna and salmon for example are a good
source for Omega -3 which is known to lower the risk of coronary artery disease.
However, one should limit red meat consumption to no more than one or twice per week
because animal source of foods are main saturated fat sources which raises low-density
lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol levels which may aid in increasing the risk for CVD. It
also recommends to limit salt where only 2300 mg of sodium can be consumed (around 1
teaspoon) (Healthline,2018). A nutritionist would definitely help with making a specific
eating schedules for patients who are not well knowledgeable about nutrition and that is
by providing them by a sample menu for example that includes that includes the foods to
be consumed on breakfast, what snacks to eat on each day and recommended meals for
lunch and dinners. Not to forget that a dietitian can suggest other diets that protects
against CVD and lowers the risk of heart strokes and diseases like the Japanese Diet,
Vegetarian Diet and other diets depending on the needs of each patient and what he/she
prefers to eat and the foods they like.

In conclusion, public health aim to promote a healthy lifestyle to people’s lives to

improve their health. Decreasing and preventing the incidence of chronic diseases like
CVD, cancer etc. is one of its main target goals and commitments. However, since
nutrition plays a major role in one’s health, a nutritionist is highly needed in the field of
public health because a dietitian is someone, who patients with chronic diseases are
referred to to receive essential instructions about what to eat and how to protect
themselves through diet in order to fight their NCDs. So we can never ignore the
important role of dietitians when tackling health issues because they are experts in the
field of nutrition which we need to guide people who are seeking a better health.

References:

EFAD, The Role Of European Public Health Dietitians (2017). Retrieved from
http://www.efad.org/media/1358/briefing_paper_on_role_of_european_ph_dietitian.pdf

How Sugar Affects the Heart. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.susquehannahealth.org/in-the-

community/blog/how-sugar-affects-the-heart

West, H. (2018, October 17). The DASH Diet: A Complete Overview and Meal Plan. Retrieved
from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/dash-diet#foods-to-eat

WHO, Cardiovascular diseases. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/health-

topics/cardiovascular-diseases/#tab=tab_1