Medical Nutrition Therapy Niki Hibben

Medical Nutrition Therapy… Medical Nutrition Therapy is the development and provision of a nutritional treatment or therapy based on a detailed assessment of a person’s medical history, psychosocial history, physical examination, and detailed assessment of a person’s medical history. Medical Nutrition Therapy is the development and provision of a nutritional treatment or therapy based on a detailed assessment of a person’s medical history, psychosocial history, physical examination, and detailed assessment of a person’s medical history.

Assessment Components Assessment of Acute or chronic disease or conditions. Medication & Drug/Alcohol use should also be determined. Evaluation of interactions between food & medications. Review of vitamin, mineral & herbal supplements taken.

Physical Examination Assessment of sex, age & anthropometric data Examining the appearance of Hair, skin & nails health.jpg

Psychosocial Assessment Review of a person’s economic status, ethnic & cultural background, living situation, education level, occupation, mental status & access to adequate food sources to maintain good health. Number of people in household. Age Mentally challenged disabilities

Diet History 3 methods commonly used : 3 methods commonly used :  A food frequency questionnaire  24 hour recall of food eaten  day food diary. Review of food preparation Review of food preparation Frequency of meals eaten out Frequency of meals eaten out Other information gathered: Other information gathered:  Is the appetite level good or poor & has it changed recently?  Have there been any taste alterations? If so, why?  Are there any chewing, or swallowing difficulties?  Are there any food allergies or intolerances?

Specialized nutrition therapies Specialized nutrition therapies including supplementation with medical foods for those unable to obtain adequate nutrients through food intake only, eternal nutrition delivered via tub feeding into the gastrointestinal tract for those unable to ingest or digest food.

Why the Need For MNT? Nearly four out of 10 adults in the USA will be obese within five years if people keep packing on pounds at the current rate - putting their health at risk, says one of the top obesity researchers. Currently, about 31%, or about 59 million people, are obese, which is defined as roughly 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight. Almost 65% are either obese or overweight, 10 to 30 pounds over a healthy weight, which increases their chances of developing diabetes, heart disease, some types of cancer and a host of other health problems.

Healthy Alternative… A meta-analysis of 89 studies that looked at a wide variety of weight loss methods showed that diet alone had the largest statistically significant impact on weight loss and metabolic control.

How MNT Helps Costs… Patients receiving medical nutritional therapy have better diabetes & lipids control  20% reduction in LDL & 4.6 % increase in HDL  18% reduction in cholesterol/HDL ratio MNT reduces physician visits & hospital admissions for Diabetes & Cardiovascular Disease.  MNT reduces drug costs for treating cholesterol & diabetes. Lewin Group Study- Journal Of American Dietetic Assoc. Vol 99; Issue 4, pg

Successfully treated Conditions: Obesity and weight loss Hypertension Gestational diabetes Nutrition in pregnancy Menopausal symptoms Irritable bowel syndrome Gastrointestinal problems Arthritis/joint pain Food allergies Weight maintenance Athletic performance Dry skin/skin conditions Fatigue High Cholesterol High Triglycerides Insulin resistance Diabetes PCOS Constipation Depression Thyroid disease Wound healing

References Benedict, Mindy. (2000) Medical Nutrition Therapy. Assessment Components, Retrieved April 3, 2008, from Nutrition-Therapy.htmlhttp:// Nutrition-Therapy.html Riley, Gay. (2008) Medical Nutrition Therapy. Best Defense Against Chronic Illness, Retrieved April 7, 2008, from Takacs, C., Haselhorst, L. (2007) Medical Nutrition Therapist, Need for MNT. Retrieved April 6,2008, from