Nutrition Support of Obese Hospitalized Patients

Obesity is a chronic disease that affects 33% of the adult population and 30% to 40% of the hospitalized adult population. Obesity can be defined with the use of percent of ideal body weight, but because of a number of problems associated with this method, body mass index has become the accepted measure. Nutrition assessment and selection of route of nutrition support are similar in the obese and normal weight patient. A variety of methods for estimating energy and protein needs in the obese patient are available but become increasingly unreliable as the degree of obesity increases. Measuring energy needs becomes appropriate as obesity becomes more severe. A strategy that uses hypocaloric nutrition support in the obese hospitalized patient is reviewed.