Nutrition
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Obesity has been identified as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases. However, dietary treatment of obesity is far from being a closed issue. Therefore, it is critical to identify the most appropriate obesity management approaches. The aim of this review was to summarize the effects, potentialities, and limitations of nutritional interventions aimed at managing obesity in primary and secondary health care settings, highlighting the most effective strategies and theories. ⋯ Most trials presented better weight loss results with the association of calorie restrictions and theory-based interventions delivered by dietitians or psychologists. We identified the need to develop interventions in other contexts, such as low- and middle-income countries; further trials comparing a theory- versus not-theory-driven intervention; group-based versus individually based intervention; and intervention using or not using technology.
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The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between preoperative nutritional status and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with gastrointestinal cancer who were admitted for elective surgical treatment. ⋯ Malnutrition, assessed by various tools, was associated with poor HRQoL of surgical patients with gastrointestinal cancer.
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Disease-related malnutrition (DRM) in hospitalized patients is known to have significant negative impact on clinical outcomes. Meanwhile, DRM in gastroenterology outpatients is scarcely investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of unintentional weight loss (UWL) and reduced food intake (RFI) as contributors to the risk of DRM in outpatients. Furthermore, the aim was to investigate if UWL may be used as initial screening for DRM, based on the correlation between UWL and RFI. ⋯ One in four outpatients experienced UWL to an extent that may have a significant negative impact on clinical outcome. A firm correlation was found between UWL and RFI. Thus, based on this superficial study, UWL may be used as initial screening for protein-energy malnutrition in the medical and surgery gastroenterology outpatient setting. The impact on clinical outcome and of early nutritional intervention in these settings need to be investigated.
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Baseline body composition has been associated with dismal outcomes in patients undergoing a variety of major abdominal operations. Whether specific anthropometric indexes can predict morbidity after rectal resection has been poorly investigated. The aims of this study were to assess whether there is a relationship between body mass index and the different computed tomography-assessed body composition indexes, and whether the analysis of different body compartments could be predictive of short-term outcomes in patients undergoing curative surgery for rectal cancer. ⋯ Some anthropometric indexes are accurate predictors of specific types of morbidity. These findings may allow a more accurate preoperative risk stratification.
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The aim of this study was to investigate the role of breakfast consumption and breakfast size on daily energy, nutrient intakes, and diet quality. ⋯ These findings indicate that obtaining a higher proportion of daily EI from breakfast may result in more favorable dietary profiles and lower daily EI. Further research is needed to confirm this.