Personal bias in nutrition advice: A survey of health professionals' recommendations regarding dairy and plant-based dairy alternatives.

Abstract

To examine the association between health professionals' personal dietary behaviors and their professional nutrition recommendations on dairy and plant-based dairy alternatives. A cross-sectional survey of 331U.S. health professionals examined willingness to recommend dairy and/or plant-based dairy alternatives to patients across personal milk preference, and dietary pattern. Plant-based milk preference (OR 4.52; p<0.001) and following a vegetarian dietary pattern (OR 1.91; p=0.019) were associated with greater odds of recommending plant-based dairy alternatives to patients. Plant-based milk preference (OR 0.16; p<0.001), following a vegetarian dietary pattern (OR 0.45; p=0.009), and considering one's diet to be "plant-based" (OR 0.41; p=0.005) were associated with lessor odds of recommending dairy to patients. Dietetics professionals were more likely than all other health professionals to recommend both dairy and plant-based dairy alternatives to patients. Health professionals' nutrition recommendations may reflect their personal nutrition choices. Improved nutrition training, focusing on evidence-based recommendations, reducing personal bias in practice, and routinely including registered dietitians on interprofessional healthcare teams may improve the quality of nutrition advice given to U.S. consumers. This paper is the first to examine if health professionals' personal health behaviors are associated with their health advice on dairy and/or plant-based dairy alternatives.