Nutrition expertise in eating disorders

Abstract

Anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) dominate published reports on disordered eating, although they actually account for a small number of cases. Binge eating disorder (BED) and subclinical syndromes of disturbed eating and distress are far more prevalent. Medical nutrition therapy including education is a cornerstone of therapy, however there has been no evaluation of baseline knowledge of nutrition and diet composition in this population relative to individuals who do not exhibit pathological eating behavior. In addition, previous reports suggest that individuals with clinical eating disorders have above-average knowledge of nutrition. In the present investigation, individuals with subclinical eating disorders did not differ from control participants. Poor scores overall indicate that nutritional counseling may be a useful component of treatment. These results further suggest that nutrition expertise is not an early feature of the disorder and, therefore, does not likely contribute to its development.

Comparison of nutrition knowledge among health professionals, patients with eating disorders and the general population

“…Previous studies show that ED patients do not have a greater knowledge of nutrition than the general population or that the difference is very slight 3,4 . Also, the nutrition knowledge of those with EDs may be focused on specific topics that sustain an ED, such as the energy content of foods 5,6 .…”

What knowledge do patients have about the physical consequences of their eating disorder?

“…If your periods have stopped due to an eating disorder, the best way to restore them is using the pill b 12.5 (10) 37.5 (7.5) 50 (82. 5) 18. Constipation may be the consequence of abuse of laxatives a 60 (82.5) 35 10) 5 (7.5) 19.…”

“…A fortunate exception is the guide to medical care and complications of eating disorders written by Mehler and Andersen [4] who made some suggestions as to the therapeutic use of medical information. Although eating disorder patients are heavily preoccupied with the selection of food, their nutrition knowledge is not exceptional and sometimes even poor [5][6][7]. But what about their knowledge of the physical consequences or health risks of an eating disorder?…”

Revisión del tratamiento dietético-nutricional de la anorexia nerviosa

“…Elementos básicos del tratamiento dietético-nutricional de la anorexia nerviosa El tratamiento dietético-nutricional debe contemplarse en todos los casos de anorexia nerviosa, sea cual sea el contexto terapéutico, incluso desde atención primaria 7,14,15,19,36 La mejoría en la conducta alimentaria inducida por el uso de psicofármacos no está bien establecida [16][17][18] Determinados aspectos del tratamiento dietético-nutricional no son negociables con los pacientes 4,22,50,51,20 Aunque la decisión sobre el contexto terapéutico (ambulatorio, hospitalización, unidades de día) depende de diversos factores, el estado nutricional de los pacientes es determinante para la toma de dicha decisión 4,5,[21][22][23]25 formación al respecto. De hecho, la modificación del comportamiento alimentario puede lograrse mediante un adecuado programa de educación nutricional [99][100][101] , con lo que se han logrado mejorías en distintos aspectos relacionados con los hábitos alimentarios de los pacientes: a) mejor estructura de las comidas; b) aumento significativo del consumo de lácteos, verduras, cereales, aceite, carnes y frutas; c) incremento significativo en la ingesta energética y en el consumo de hidratos de carbono; d) aumento significativo en la ingesta de vitamina B 2 , ácido fólico, calcio y magnesio, y d) importante mejoría del estado nutricional 102 .…”