The Role of Medical Clinical Nutrition in Managing Chronic Disease
Clinical nutrition is a specialized branch of healthcare that uses dietary intervention as a primary or supportive therapy for treating various medical conditions. It involves the assessment of a patient's nutritional status and the formulation of specific plans to manage diseases like diabetes, renal failure, or malabsorption syndromes.
In a hospital setting, medical nutrition may involve enteral or parenteral feeding—delivering nutrients directly to the stomach or the bloodstream when a patient cannot consume food orally. These formulas are meticulously balanced to provide the exact ratio of macronutrients and micronutrients required for recovery. For instance, a patient recovering from major surgery requires increased protein intake to facilitate tissue repair and immune function, while a patient with kidney disease might need a diet restricted in certain minerals.
The practice of clinical nutrition is grounded in biochemistry and physiology. Dietitians and clinicians must understand how specific nutrients interact with medications and how the…


