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"Nutritionists" giving advice in the media

  • 02-04-2017 3:01pm
    #1
    Arbie
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 882 ✭✭✭


    TheJournal.ie has an advertorial for a "nutritionist": http://www.thejournal.ie/readme/ten-a-day-how-to-sneak-in-more-veg-without-feeling-youre-living-on-rabbit-food-3317574-Apr2017/

    The content of the article is reasonable, but who is giving the advice?

    The term nutritionist is not protected in Ireland, so literally anyone can legally claim that they are a nutritionist. Most people would probably presume that it is the same as a dietitian, which is not true, as dietitians are regulated and must undergo formal, science-based training in an accredited degree programme.

    So the author is:
    "Ciara Wright PhD DipNT is Director and Senior Nutritionist at Glenville Nutrition Ireland. www.glenvillenutrition.ie"

    She is not a dietitian. She has a PhD in cellular biology, which is impressive but is not related to nutrition; it does not confer any more expertise in nutrition than a PhD in another area of science. She also has a (currently unaccredited) Diploma in Nutritional Therapy from the Institute of Health Sciences (IHS), a private company based in Dublin which offers courses with vague titles. The website is littered with references to pseudoscientific terms like "functional medicine", "complementary medicine" and "integrative health".

    This is all publicly-available fact, taken from the author's own website and the website of the IHS, so I am not saying anything controversial or defamatory, I am pointing out the issues with a mainstream media outlet running an opinion piece by someone with an unregulated title giving health advice.

    The IHS website states career opportunities as including:
    Contributing articles to industry, academic or general interest publications
    Contributing to radio and TV programmes

    I find it concerning that a company offering a health-related course would note as career opportunities what are essentially sales or PR roles. Sadly it is not surprising, given that many self-styled nutritionists seem to have personality-based practices where they have to sell their services. The Journal and media in general really should take a better editorial stance when it comes to health and science articles.


Comments

  • #2
    echo beach
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,252 ✭✭✭echo beach


    Arbie wrote: »
    The Journal and media in general really should take a better editorial stance when it comes to health and science articles.
    Couldn't agree more. There are plenty of people with real qualifications and experience who could give advice but because it isn't presented in a media-likely friendly (i.e dumbed down) version then they aren't called on.
    It is pretty difficult to find anything that isn't dressed up advertising in the mainstream media, broadsheets as well as tabloids.


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