Nutritional Support Should Target the Cause of Malnutrition in Hospitalized Patients

Abstract

Kaegi-Braun and colleagues 1 have presented a retrospective analysis of the outcomes of nutritional support on hospitalized patients who are malnourished. This study found that nutritional support is associated with small but statistically significant decrease in patient mortality (7.2% vs 8.8%; incidence rate ratio, 0.79 [95% CI, 0.75-0.84]; P < .001) and reduced hospital readmission. There are a number of important strengths to this study, principally the very large number and heterogeneity

Lean body mass should not be used as a surrogate measurement of muscle mass in malnourished men and women: Comment on Compher et al.

“…The measurement of muscle mass and changing muscle mass for a diagnosis of malnutrition is an important goal. This may be an important step in the identification of the potential causes of malnutrition that are of critical importance for nutrition interventions 2 . Muscle represents a large storage depot for protein, and inadequate dietary protein in adults can result in a relatively rapid decrease in muscle mass to maintain protein synthetic rate in tissues vital to survival.…”

Hospital nutrition: dietary intake characteristics among adults with NCDs (Algeria, 2020)

“…Reports are confirming that hospitalized patients, in general, do not consume the necessary amount of energy and nutrients to cover their requirements, which worsens their nutritional condition. Assessment of nutritional status and diagnosis of the cause of malnutrition are critically important in providing nutrients that treat both malnutrition and its causes 13,14 . Among the most relevant measures are those to identify and prevent the causes of malnutrition and the searching of a comprehensive training for the Dietitian-Nutritionist to have a better approach in the nutritional attention and support 15 .…”