The American Medical Association (AMA), in collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), announced a new continuing medical education (CME) course available for physicians and other health care professionals to counsel patients on using the recently updated Nutrition Facts label. The course offers easy and practical strategies to help patients use the newly updated label to make food choices that can reduce the risk of developing chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease.
"An easy way for patients to make healthier food choices is by referencing the Nutrition Facts label found on food and beverage packages," said AMA President Susan R. Bailey, M.D. "These new videos provide a variety of strategies that physicians can easily incorporate into their workflow to help guide patients on how to make food choices that will have a lasting, positive impact on their health."
"We are thrilled to work with the AMA on these new continuing medical education videos, designed to help physicians and other health care professionals better understand the important updates to the Nutrition Facts label and contribute to their patients' lifelong healthy eating habits," said Susan T. Mayne, PhD, Director of FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. "We know that health care professionals are among the most trusted when it comes to providing nutrition information to their patients, so this partnership is especially valuable to our nutrition efforts at the FDA."
The videos highlight the new Nutrition Facts label, which was recently updated to reflect new scientific information, including the link between diet and chronic diseases such as obesity and heart disease. This is the first major update to the label in more than 20 years. The new CME videos will help health care professionals understand the new label and provide strategies to counsel patients about using the label to make informed food and beverage choices for themselves and their families.
"We know that poor diet can lead to obesity, which is linked to a number of life-threatening conditions such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes, and that underlying conditions can place people at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19. The AMA is committed to improving the health of the nation by leading the charge to prevent and reduce the burden of chronic disease, like cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, to ensure patients live richer and fuller lives," said Dr. Bailey.
To view the new Nutrition Facts label CME course, which also includes companion patient educational materials, visit the AMA Ed HubTM or the FDA's website Food Safety and Nutrition Resources for Healthcare Professionals. The video qualifies for AMA PRA Category 1 creditTM.
