Medical Nutrition Therapy in Hospitalized Patients with Diabetes

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Aidar R. Gosmanov, University of Tennessee; Guillermo Umpierrez, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2012-02
• Publisher: Springer (part of Springer Nature): Springer Open Choice Hybrid Journals
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011
• Final Published Version (URL): http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11892-011-0236-5
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Current Diabetes Reports
• ISSN: 1534-4827
• Volume: 12
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 93
• End Page: 100
• Keywords: Parenteral nutrition; Enteral nutrition; Hyperglycemia; Diabetes mellitus; Nutrition support; Medical nutrition therapy; Hospital care
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Nutrition

Abstract

Medical nutrition therapy (MNT) plays an important role in management of hyperglycemia in hospitalized patients with diabetes mellitus. The goals of inpatient MNT are to optimize glycemic control, to provide adequate calories to meet metabolic demands, and to create a discharge plan for follow-up care. All patients with and without diabetes should undergo nutrition assessment on admission with subsequent implementation of physiologically sound caloric support. The use of a consistent carbohydrate diabetes meal-planning system has been shown to be effective in facilitating glycemic control in hospitalized patients with diabetes. This system is based on the total amount of carbohydrate offered rather than on specific calorie content at each meal, which facilitates matching the prandial insulin dose to the amount of carbohydrate consumed. In this article, we discuss general guidelines for the implementation of appropriate MNT in hospitalized patients with diabetes.