|
'Serving Patients Unpalatable Food Will Not Help Them Recover Early'
EHM News Bureau
Dieticians must be aware of the fact that serving patients unpalatable food
will not help them recover early, said Jyoti Lalwani, Chief Dietician at PD
Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai. She was speaking at a conference on Gastroenterology,
recently held by PD Hinduja National Hospital & Medical Research Centre,
Mumbai. The purpose of the conference was to update dieticians on the latest
findings in the field of gastroenterology. The seminar was attended by more
than 120 dieticians. It has been a practice since decades to reduce the food
intake of the patient suffering from any gastroenterology-related problems.
"But, why follow the theoretical knowledge blindly? Reducing food intake
only results in malnourishment," said Lalwani, who had organised this conference,
adding, "We can be 'slightly' liberal with the patients."
Dr Philip Abraham, Consultant Gastroenterologist, Hinduja
Hospital, said, "Most milk products actually help in digestion, so there
is no need to avoid all milk products." He further added, "It is important
to include fats and proteins in the diet of patients suffering from malabsorption.
Dieticians should use medium chain triglycerides (MCT), which assist in fat
absorption. Though MCTs are unpalatable, patients can tolerate 15 ml per day
(to be divided in three-four doses). Also, the patient must be given slightly
more protein than a normal person, as he is losing protein at a very fast pace."
Dr Anirudh Phadke, Gastroenterologist at KEM Hospital, Mumbai, observed, "Liver
is the workhouse of human body. The most common liver disorders are cirrhosis,
acute hepatitis, and fulminant hepatic failure (FHF). Severity of malnutrition
correlates with the severity of the liver disease. Also, restriction on water
should not be imposed unless the sodium in the body is more than 120 mmol/l."
Dr Sudeep Shah
|
Priya Palan, Dietician with Hinduja Hospital, stated, "Increase
calcium intake while treating the gastro intestinal tract. Also, glutamine is
an essential amino acid which helps in curing the disease." Dr Sudeep Shah,
Consultant GI and HPB Surgeon, PD Hinduja Hospital, informed, "Of all the
kinds of stones, the cholesterol stones are the only ones that have a direct
relation with diets. In the US, 10-15 per cent of population has gallstones
and 93 per cent of them are asymptomatic. And, there is no need to operate on
asymptomatic stones unless there is calcified GB or sickle cell disease."
He also explained the importance of nutrition in post-operative care by citing
various case studies. "Enteral and parental feeding, both almost give the
same results in post-operative care and hence there is no need to ponder much
on them. One should keep in mind to start the food intake slowly, e.g. with
20 Kcal/day and monitor vitamin levels on a regular basis," he added.
|
