Amman, Sept 26 (Petra) – Jordan General Practitioners Society held a
panel discussion titled “Towards a Scientifically-Sound Dietary
Regime” on the sidelines of its 13th conference.
Participants were unanimous that the choice of diet must be based on
medical diagnosis, an individual’s health condition, and scientific
evidence, warning that discontinuing medication or altering dosages
without medical supervision could expose patients to serious
complications.
Diets should not be presented as cure-all for diseases, they said,
urging a distinguish between general nutritional advice and a
therapeutic diet requiring assessment and monitoring. They
underscored that there is ‘no one-size-fits-all’ diet.
The doctors also urged distinguishing between symptom improvement,
such as changes in weight, blood sugar levels, or a reduced need for
medication under medical supervision, and disease remission or
complete recovery.
These concepts are not synonymous and that determining recovery
requires clear medical criteria and specialized follow-up, they
added.
“Doctors have treated diabetic patients who suffered relapses after
stopping insulin, believing they could rely solely on diet, and some
cases led to serious complications, particularly among patients with
Type 1 diabetes,” said Dr. Mohammad Ghannam, an endocrinology and
diabetes specialist.
He said some patients might notice improvement after altering their
diet, whether through weight loss or by reducing the intake of
ultra-processed foods, sugars, and sweetened beverages, but this does
not mean the new diet replaces medical treatment.
Improvements in certain health markers do not justify discontinuing
doctor-prescribed medications, he stressed.
Jordanian Cardiac Society (JCS) President Dr. Jamal Al-Dabbas said
medicine does not treat nutrition as a ‘one-size-fits-all’
prescription, adding that dietary plans must be tailored to the
patient’s health status, age, medications, co-existing conditions,
and lifestyle factors.
He said individual differences among patients make it difficult to
adopt a single diet for all cases, particularly those with diabetes,
hypertension, heart disease, kidney disease, or lipid disorders,
stressing that any therapeutic dietary intervention should be
preceded by a proper medical assessment.
Al-Dabbas urged against generalizing the results of individual
experiences, explaining that one person’s experience cannot replace
clinical studies that compare groups of patients and scientifically
determine benefits and risks.
He urged media outlets and social platforms to refrain from offering
dietary or therapeutic advice that might prompt patients to make
decisions affecting their treatment, especially the discontinuation
or substitution of medication.
Dr. Maysam Akroush, a gastroenterologist, said medical information
must be grounded in scientific research. Personal experiences,
however genuine they may feel to an individual, are insufficient to
prove the efficacy of a diet or confirm it as the direct cause of an
improvement in health, she said.
Akroush stressed dietary balance, moderation, and variety, alongside
physical activity, avoiding smoking, and limiting sugar and
ultra-processed foods.
She noted that dietary approaches should take into account individual
differences as well as the underlying causes of symptoms and
diseases.
“While eliminating a specific food might be appropriate in certain
cases, this does not necessarily mean the food is harmful to
everyone,” she explained, urging a focus on identifying the root
causes of illness rather than relying merely on a generic list of
permitted and forbidden foods.
Nutritionist Doaa Shanak highlighted the importance of the body
obtaining necessary nutrients from various food groups in appropriate
quantities. She warned against unbalanced diets, which, for some
individuals, can lead to nutritional deficiencies or exacerbate
existing health issues.
Dr. Munir Abu Al-Saman, head of the General Practitioners’ Society
and conference chair, pointed out that diseases do not stem from diet
alone, but each condition arises from multiple causes and factors,
making it difficult to reduce treatment to a single dietary regimen.
Some diets are marketed as universal solutions for a wide range of
ailments, whereas modern medicine relies on diagnosis and treatment
tailored to the individual patient, he said, adding that every person
has unique health circumstances that dictate their specific
nutritional and therapeutic needs.
Dr. Ibrahim Abu Teineh, General Practitioners Society Secretary, said
physicians have a responsibility to educate patients about the risks
of making treatment decisions based on unverified information, and to
stress the need to consult a doctor before making any significant
changes to their diet or medication regimen.
//Petra//SS
