Refeeding Adolescent Eating Disorders

-
Restrictive eating disorders are a serious problem for many adolescents. In some cases, inpatient monitoring is needed for these patients. These individuals are typically severely malnourished with BMIs of 14 or below. During their stay, nutritional support to gain weight back to a healthy range is essential. The current guidelines recommend that patients start at 10 kcal/kg/day. This exceptionally low kcal recommendation is to avoid refeeding syndrome. However, recent research suggests that, in the adolescent population, the starting kcal recommendations does not need to be so restrictive.
            A study performed by Parker, Faruquie, Anderson, et al. assessed the complications of feeding adolescents above the current recommendations. The study looked at 162 adolescents admitted to an inpatient eating disorder program with an average length of stay of 3.6 weeks. The average age was 16.7 years and average BMI on admittance was 80.1% of ideal. They began feeding at 58.4 kcal/kg/day which is much higher than the recommended levels. The average weekly gain was 2.1kg. During this time-frame, none of the patients developed cardiac symptoms indicative of refeeding syndrome or signs of delirium. They did, however, develop decreased levels of several electrolytes. No significant significance was found between the higher caloric intake and the decreased electrolyte balance. This study suggests that a more aggressive feeding schedule may be warranted in adolescents with severe eating disorders.
SG
Parker E K, Faruquie S S, Anderson G, et al. Higher caloric refeeding is safe in hospitalized        
adolescents patients with restrictive eating disorders. J Nutr Metab. 2016:2016;1-9. DOI: 5168978.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Are All Sugars Created Equal?

-
Image
Are All Sugars Created Equal?  I think one of the most confusing nutrition topics for people is sugar. With so many conflicting stories out there, it’s difficult to separate the facts from the fiction. Not to mention, the types of sugars are endless. How do we know what’s best for our bodies? White or brown sugar? Cane or raw? Should we just go with Stevia instead? Is it even okay to consume artificial sweeteners? Should we avoid foods with high amounts of natural sugar in them? Each answer only seems to lead to another question!  Let’s start off with distinguishing the purpose of sugar in the first place. Do our bodies even need it? The short answer is yes! Sugars are carbohydrates (what we commonly call “carbs”), one of the three main macronutrients that our bodies need for fuel to function and survive. One of the major ways to categorize sugar is by separating the “natural” sugars from the “added” sugars. Natural sugars are, well, naturally found in foods. They give us the energy th
Read more

Milk Mythbusters

-
Image
Just like with any nutrition topic, the facts about milk can become convoluted pretty quickly. Whether you drink milk for the protein, the nutrients, the flavor, or just like to switch it up, there are pros and cons to every kind. Here are some quick nutritional facts about each type to help you decide which is best for you. Animal-Based Milks  Whole Milk: The original diary drink. It gets a bad rap, but what whole milk has going for it, is that it’s in its proper nutritional form. Whole milk contains all of its original fat-soluble vitamins, A, E, D, & K, along with the fat to help you absorb them all. It also has the proper concentrations and ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids, or your omega-3s and omega-6s, so that they are metabolized as they should be. The downside is that whole milk is calorically dense, meaning that a little goes a long way. You don’t need much to get what you need, so just don’t overdo it!  2% Milk: The fat content of 2% milk is about half of that in who
Read more