A Survey of the State of Dietary Knowledge of Students of the Medical Faculty of Polish Medical Universities

Introduction: Proper nutrition is an important element in pursuit of health. Appropriate selection of macro- and micro-ingredients allows to maintain the correct weight, avoid nutritional deficiencies and many health problems. Despite the fact that the topic of nutrition is primarily the concern of nutritionists, knowledge of nutrition is often helpful also for doctors.Aim is to examine the state of knowledge of medical students studying in Poland on the principles of healthy eating.Material and Methods: An anonymous online survey was conducted. The responses of 140 students of medicine from Polish medical universities were analyzed. Results: Despite the fact that 52.1% of the respondents declared that they are interested in the topic of healthy eating, only 40.3% of the respondents correctly stated that buckwheat is a good source of magnesium in the diet. 72.7% of respondents wrongly thought that olive oil is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids in the diet. 78.1% of respondents correctly stated that canned food with a high salt content is a risk factor for stomach cancer. 52.5% of respondents believe that coffee increases the excretion of magnesium in the urine. The same number of respondents correctly considered green tea to be a source of substances similar to caffeine. 59.7% of respondents correctly stated that onions, leeks and cabbage should be avoided while following the diet recommended in irritable bowel syndrome.Conclusion: Despite the expressed interest in the subject of healthy eating by the majority of the surveyed students, the results of the study suggest that the dietetary knowledge of students of the medical faculty of Polish Medical Universities is not very good. In some questions, only about half of the respondents gave correct answers.