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
