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Nutrition & Dietetics vocabulary · Clinical Nutrition

Malnutrition

Meaning in nutrition & dietetics, with examples

/ˌmælnuˈtrɪʃən/nounCore term

In nutrition & dietetics, malnutrition means: A condition caused by a diet that does not match the body's needs. It usually means undernutrition, but in global health it also covers overweight, obesity and micronutrient deficiencies.

In Turkish: malnütrisyon, yetersiz beslenme, kötü beslenme

How it is used

A major issue in hospitals, care homes and public health. Patients are 'screened for malnutrition' with tools such as MUST or NRS-2002, and staff talk about 'disease-related malnutrition' and patients 'at risk of malnutrition'. The adjective is 'malnourished'.

Example sentences

  1. All patients are screened for malnutrition within 24 hours of admission.

  2. Malnutrition slows wound healing and increases the length of hospital stay.

Common collocations

  • risk of malnutrition
  • screen for malnutrition
  • disease-related malnutrition
  • severe acute malnutrition
  • nutritional statusThe condition of a person's health as it is affected by their intake and use of nutrients, judged from body measurements, diet, clinical signs and lab tests.
  • nutrition assessmentA systematic process in which a dietitian collects and interprets information about a person's diet, body measurements, medical history and lab results to identify nutrition problems.
  • deficiencyA lack of a nutrient in the body that is serious enough to affect health or cause specific signs, such as anemia caused by too little iron.
  • enteral nutritionFeeding that uses the digestive tract, usually through a tube into the stomach or small intestine, for patients who cannot eat enough by mouth. Some definitions also include oral nutritional supplements.
  • clinical nutritionThe branch of nutrition that deals with preventing, diagnosing and managing nutrition-related problems in patients, especially in hospitals, clinics and long-term care.

More terms: Clinical Nutrition

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