Kent State Interns

           School is back in session, and a lot of changes to the National School Lunch Program take place this school year. Some of the recent new rulings have raised some concern for school food service directors and employees. An annual survey by the School Nutrition Association was released this past week to help identify areas of concern that directors are having. The 1,102 respondents to the survey were asked to select the top three issues of concern for their district as well as the top three issues of concern nationwide. Some of the top answers for concern on a district level included program participation, cost of food, implementation of competitive food regulations, and implementation of new meal patterns. Implementation of competitive food and of new meal patterns were the top concerns for the national level. The results of the survey were not surprising. These concerns have been brought up to the School Nutrition Associa...

This study is from the European review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences. Cancer is currently the most frequent cause of morbidity and mortality in Europe. Often in cancer patients weight loss and nutritional status are a large concern for those on the team that takes care of a patient. The definition of malnutrition is stated as, " a subacute or chronic state of nutrition in which varying degrees of over or undernutrition and inflammation activity have lead to a change in the body composition and function." In cancer patients if there is severe malnutrition there are associated complications to treatment that are often seen. Cancer patients have also been noted to suffer from cachexia, " a complex metabolic syndrome associated with underlying illness and characterized by muscle loss with or without loss of fat." These two forms of malnutrition in general are the same thing with very similar effects on the patient. If the patient is suffering from a poor nutr...

Researchers have found that Americans that are taking statin have increased the amount of calories and fat during the 2009-2010 year than in the past ten years. Statins are cholesterol lowering drugs that inhibits the HMG-CoA reductase enzyme, which plays a role in producing cholesterol in the liver. Researchers found that the increase of fat and calories were only among those that are taking satins. According to National Center for Global Health and Medicine in Japan, "We may need to re-emphasize the importance of dietary modification for those who are taking these medications, now that obesity and diabetes are important problems in society". Patients are usually put on statins when obesity and high cholesterol are already an issue for the patient. Does the use of statins entitle patients not to change their lifestyle and behavior modifications since the drug will work to lower the amount of cholesterol even though they are receiving large amounts through diet? http://...

Hospital Malnutrition Standardized Guidelines Malnutrition remains a serious problem in hospitals today. It is estimated that one in three patients enter the hospital malnourished and if left untreated will experience significant decline in their condition. It is also estimated that one in three patients becomes malnourished during their hospital stay which severely compromises their short and long term outcomes. Malnutrition contributes to pressure ulcers, poor wound healing, infection, longer hospital stays, and readmissions which all create higher health care costs. These serious consequences of malnutrition have led dietitians to improve nutritional assessments and allot more time to spend monitoring malnourished or at-risk patients. With current policy changes in our healthcare system promoting affordable care, there is a need to emphasize the role that nutrition therapy plays in patient care. Five organizations have launched a partnership to improve patie...

New Cholesterol Guidelines Released The American Heart Association released new clinical practice guidelines for managing cholesterol. The focus for lowering LDL cholesterol has moved away from focusing on achieving target numbers and instead has moved toward assessing risk and implementing cholesterol-lowering statin medications as appropriate.             This new recommendation is based on recent research that found that lifestyle changes as combined with a statin have shown the most significant improvements in cholesterol levels. They establish risk categories to determine the need for statin use. “High risk” include those who have already suffered a heart attack or stroke or suffer from cardiovascular disease, or who have abnormally high LDL levels. It is recommended that these patients use statins. For others, the American Heart Association has created a risk calculator to determine if statin use is ap...

Diabetes and Heart Disease             According to the American Heart Association, at least 68% of people 65 and older die from heart disease and 16% die of stroke. Heart disease rates are two to four times higher in adults with diabetes than among adults without diabetes. What is the link between heart disease and diabetes? How should dietitians counsel patients who are at risk? It is estimated that about 97% of people with diabetes have dyslipidemia. Dyslipidemia causes disturbances in endothelial function which promotes atherosclerosis is these individuals. Some changes that result include increased constriction of the   coronary artery, increased thrombosis, and increased local inflammatory response. There is a strong relationship between hyperglycemia, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and heart disease. It has been shown that managing proper blood glucose levels can reduce heart disease risk. Keeping b...

Vitamin D and Fall Risk Along with the majority of people in the north during the winter months, many seniors in retirement centers are also vitamin D deficient. Many older individuals experience a loss of muscle mass and muscle strength that is directly related to loss of bone. Elderly with low intake of vitamin D may have decreased renal production of calcitrol and may be more at risk for falls due to resulting proximal myopathy. Some studies have suggested that supplemental vitamin D may decrease seniors’ fall risk. This may be due to the decreased psychomotor functioning and increased sway that occurs with vitamin D deficiency that increases fall risk.             Such studies that have proven that vitamin D supplements are beneficial for improving fall risk include meta-analysis was conducted by Bischoff-Ferrari, Dawson-Hughes, and Staehelin et al. This study reviewed eight randomized control trials o...