JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Physicians representing the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) today issued a position statement strongly recommending enhanced medical doctor training for and renewed focus on treatment of patients clinical nutrition needs.

At a time when the prevalence of nutrition-related illnesses is escalating significantly, both with ambulatory and hospitalized patients, many medical societies are reporting an inadequate number of physician members trained in this important specialty, said M. Molly McMahon, M.D., FACE, professor of medicine with Mayo Clinic Rochesters Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, Diabetes, Nutrition and Internal Medicine, co-chair of the AACE Nutrition Committee and lead author of the position paper. Healthy nutrition is important for health promotion, disease prevention and disease treatment. We wish to develop focused nutrition education for endocrinologists, highlight the value of physician nutrition expertise, and address barriers in clinical nutrition practices to enhance clinical outcomes.

AACE is proposing a four-pronged strategy to address the problem: coordination of CME-accredited advanced nutrition education and training for clinical endocrinologists; an accompanying certification process; collaboration across the many medical disciplines and organizations with interests in nutrition to foster a critical mass of expertise across specialties; and widespread recognition and support of new models for physician-directed nutritional practices that will focus on the value created by such teams as relates to clinic outcomes and quality of life issues.

The statement is published in the September/October 2012 edition of the associations peer-revised medical journal Endocrine Practice (https://www.aace.com/files/position-statements/nutrition.pdf).

The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE)

The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) represents more than 6,500 endocrinologists in the United States and abroad. AACE is the largest association of clinical endocrinologists in the world. The majority of AACE members are certified in Endocrinology and Metabolism and concentrate on the treatment of patients with endocrine and metabolic disorders including diabetes, thyroid disorders, osteoporosis, growth hormone deficiency, cholesterol disorders, hypertension and obesity. For more information about AACE, visit the AACE website atwww.aace.com, become a fan on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/theaaceor follow AACE on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/theaace.

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Preeminent Medical Association Issues Statement Calling For More Physician Training, Oversight for Expert Nutrition Care