Nutrition as Therapy

A patient’s treatment in a hospital involves many different approaches from specialties across the board. However, one important form of treatment often goes ignored — nutrition. 

Inadequate nutrition before and during hospitalization puts patients at risk for a longer recovery, increased complications, and even death. Overnutrition as well as undernutrition — along with improper food choices — can result in nutrition imbalances that lead to acute and long-term complications.

A Look at Malnutrition in US Hospitals

• Between 20% and 50% of inpatients are estimated to be malnourished. 
• Over half of all patients leave most of their hospital meals uneaten. 
• Treatments associated with malnutrition are estimated to cost over $11 billion each year.

Sources: Becker’s Hospital Review; National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialist

Nutrition is of critical importance during a patient’s hospital stay to avoid unnecessary expenses. When undernutrition and malnutrition begin to unfold, it can lead to undesirable declines and
potentially death.

Certain treatments and illnesses may cause patients to lose their appetite while in the hospital or prevent their body from absorbing the right nutrients. The correct nutritional intervention is an essential part of their medical care. In turn, they’ll have an easier time recovering and avoiding complications.

How Nutrition Can Benefit Common Chronic Conditions 

About half of all American adults have at least one preventable chronic disease, such as diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers — many of which are related to a poor diet. 

Some hospital admissions are directly related to these conditions. Other reasons for hospitalization, such as a viral illness or surgery to repair a broken bone, become more complicated to manage in the presence of a chronic disease.

Registered Dietitian (RDs) u nderstand chronic conditions and how foods may affect them. They assess a patient's physical status, biochemical data, and food intake to develop a nutrition plan of care. 

RDs work as a part of the patient care team to effectively manage a patient’s nutritional intake during their stay and provide essential diet education to promote continued healthy eating and healing.

Nutrition and Diabetes

Managing diabetes can be complicated — even the slightest changes in diet, activity level, or physical and emotional stress can impact blood sugar levels. To keep a patient’s blood sugar levels in a healthy range, their diet must be individualized and account for personal food preferences and habits along with their physical activity levels.

What patients eat, how much they eat, and when they eat are all critical factors for preventing complications from diabetes, such as:

• Kidney disease
• Vision loss
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Low blood sugar
• Nerve damage
• Foot problems
• Depression
• Dementia
• Sleep apnea 

Medical nutrition therapy uses strategies carefully planned by an RD, and it’s been shown to improve diabetes management. A properly designed diet can improve a patient’s outcomes during their hospital stay and prevent avoidable and dangerous complications.

Nutrition and Heart Disease

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US. Hospitals use many costly procedures to treat heart disease, such as:

• Cardiac catheterization, which costs a hospital $57,594
• Pacemakers, which costs a hospital $83,521
• Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, which costs a hospital $171,476
• Heart transplant, which costs a hospital $808,770 

One of the most significant ways to manage heart disease is much less expensive — a healthy diet. Still, about 40% of adults with heart disease are obese.

The foods a patient with heart disease eats is important to treatment. For example, too much sodium can increase a patient’s blood pressure and put them at risk of stroke. Despite this, about 90% of adult Americans exceed the daily sodium recommendation. 

Medical nutrition therapy by an RD identifies practical ways patients can learn to reduce their sodium intake — as well as other heart-healthy eating strategies.

Nutrition and Cancer

Cancer and cancer treatments may make eating more difficult and less desirable. They can affect the taste and smell of food, a patient’s appetite, and the ability of their body to absorb important nutrients.

All of these side effects can lead to malnutrition, making it more challenging for the body to heal and fight infection.

Eating the right foods before, during, and after cancer treatment can mitigate side effects and make the patient feel better. For example, eating smaller meals more frequently, choosing snacks higher in protein and calories, and drinking nutrient-rich beverages are examples of ways food can help cancer patients stay strong.

Treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, and immunotherapy may also require patients to adjust their diets due to loss of appetite, vomiting, or diarrhea. Patients may also need to avoid certain foods due to a higher risk of infection during treatment.

Nutrition therapy ensures a patient’s diet provides them enough energy, keeps their body tissues healthy, and decreases side effects of both cancer and its treatments.

How Nutrition Therapy Can Benefit Mental Health  

A patient’s diet can impact more than just their physical health. It can affect their mood and mental health, often referred to as the “food-mood connection.”

Patients who don’t maintain a healthy diet are more likely to experience depression or other mental health issues.

The food a patient eats impacts their level of certain neurotransmitters (chemicals in their brain that support networking and communication), such as serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and acetylcholine. The level and activity of these neurotransmitters come from a patient’s diet and can impact their behavior, eating patterns, sleep, and energy levels.

Nutritional problems that may impact mental health disorders include:

• An overgrowth of bacteria or yeast, whose byproducts can worsen mood disorders and depression
• Food allergies and sensitivities, which can add to symptoms of depression and schizophrenia
• Partially digested foods, such as milk and gluten, which can create an opiate-like compound and impact mood and cognitive abilities

Certain nutrients may also contribute to a patient’s behavior and mood, such as:

• Omega-3 fatty acids, which is important for brain function and can benefit conditions such as ADHD, autism, and bipolar disorder
• Vitamin D, which can decrease symptoms of depression
• Zinc, which may impact conditions such as ADHD and depression
• B vitamins, which can affect memory and learning
• Antioxidants, which can protect brain cells from damage  

RDs create plans for patients that support their brain function and benefit their mental well-being during their hospital stay, allowing them to focus on recovering and healing.

Nutrition as Prevention

Just as nutritional therapy can help manage chronic conditions, it can function as a preventative factor, as well. Patients who are being treated for a condition shouldn’t be concerned about adding another to their list of ailments due to a poorly managed diet from the hospital.

RDs can help prevent this from happening in the hospital setting as well as educate patients to own their diet in the future. This support sets the stage for success after discharge by helping patients effectively manage their illness and prevent readmission. 

Nutrition can prevent chronic conditions, such as:

• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Cancer
• Osteoporosis
• Dental disease 

During a patient’s initial assessment, an RD can determine what they should eat, what they should avoid, how much they should eat, and when they should eat.

Proper nutrition is linked to a patient’s outcomes during their hospital stay. Optimizing nutrition care has been shown to reduce readmissions by 27% and hospital stays by nearly 2 days, and it’s critical that it’s not ignored.

The Many Benefits of Nutritional Therapy

Healthy eating is important while in the hospital and at home. Malnutrition can prolong recovery and lead to other health problems — both of which can be prevented with the right diet.

When a patient is in your hospital’s care, they should be provided with the nutrients their body needs for their condition. This takes careful planning, which is exactly what an RD is prepared to do.

A registered dietitian plays a critical role in a patient’s care team. From the initial assessment to consistent monitoring to important educational resources, a registered dietitian is there every step of the way to ensure patients are equipped with the right nutrition to heal.

Sodexo, as the premier employer of dietitians, maximizes the expertise of our over 4,000 dietitians to build and maintain the best therapeutic nutrition programs. Learn more about nutrition at Sodexo.