Approach to Malnutrition and Oral Nutrition Therapy in Adults with IBD: What to Consider

TL;DR

This paper reviews how to manage malnutrition in adults with IBD using oral nutrition therapy and highlights key considerations for its use.

Contribution

The paper clarifies the role of oral nutritional supplements in different stages of IBD and their comparison with other nutritional therapies.

Findings

Malnutrition is common in IBD due to poor intake and impaired nutrient absorption.

ONS can help maintain nutrition but its effectiveness varies by disease stage.

Oral vitamins play a supportive role in managing IBD-related nutritional deficiencies.

Abstract

Inflammatory Bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), are chronic gastrointestinal conditions that are prone to malnutrition due to poor oral intake, intestinal compromise of nutrient absorption, and increase in metabolic demand. Screening and diagnosing malnutrition in this population is necessary to treat and prevent worsening malnutrition. The use of Oral Nutritional Therapy (ONS) can provide the macronutrients that patients need to maintain their nutrition, however their role in within stages of diseases, active disease, remission, perioperative, and maintenance in relation to other nutritional therapies, such as enteral nutrition or parenteral nutrition, is unclear. This review will highlight the principles of diagnosing malnutrition, the evidence of ONS in disease and remission states, and the role of oral vitamins in the management of IBD.

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