Loss of appetite is common during hospital stays

This makes it very important for hospital diets to have a high concentration of protein and calories, since the patients are only able to consume very small amounts of food at a time. The protein requirement during illness may be almost twice that of healthy subjects, who need a daily protein intake of 0.75g/kg body weight to ensure nitrogen balance. Hospital patients require 1.00-1.50g/kg body weight a day.
The illness itself is not the only cause of appetite loss; the treatment or the patient’s anxiety may also play a role. A reduced appetite may cause malnutrition, making it even more important to ensure the patient gets enough protein and calories from the diet. It is equally important that the proteins are of a high nutritional quality.
Arla Foods Ingredients has developed two ranges of milk proteins to help prevent malnutrition – MIPRODAN® (casein based) and LACPRODAN® (whey based). MIPRODAN® has been specially developed for neutral clinical nutrition drinks, while LACPRODAN® is suitable for transparent clinical nutrition drinks.

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