Effects of mealtime assistance in the nutritional rehabilitation of eating disorders.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to examine the effects of meal supervision, provided by health professionals, volunteers or family members, on anthropometric, nutritional, psychological, and behavioural outcomes in patients with eating disorders (EDs). METHODS: The present systematic review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The last search was conducted in three databases (PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane library). Inclusion criteria considered paediatric and adult patients suffering from EDs, regardless of ethnicity, and treated in different therapeutic settings. The quality of the studies was evaluated using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale (NOS) adapted for cross-sectional studies and Version 2 of the Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool for randomised trials. RESULTS: 3282 articles were retrieved, out of which only 6 met the eligibility criteria. A marked heterogeneity in definitions and approaches to supervised mealtime was observed. This variability emerged in the methodologies used in the supervised meal, and in the reference values for the outcome measures that were used, such as the analysis of different parameters. Based on these observations, mealtime assistance provided to patients with EDs shows an overall positive effect on eating behaviour and dysfunctional attitudes. Future research should be prompted to provide a thorough definition of a structured procedure for meal assistance to be potentially and systematically included in the nutritional rehabilitation protocols for patients with EDs. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV systematic reviews of uncontrolled trials.

Oro-dental manifestations of eating disorders: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Eating disorders (EDs) pose a significant risk to health, especially when not diagnosed early. For several years EDs and oral health has been extensively studied, and now it is quite clear the existence of a correlation between specific oral manifestations and these disorders. While these oral signs could potentially aid early diagnosis of EDs, their identification and the eventual establishment of a correlation is currently heavily limited to the clinician's experience. The present systematic review critically examines existing literature, offering an updated overview of oro-dental manifestations associated with EDs. METHOD: MEDLINE (via PubMed), Web of Science, Scopus, and grey literature were searched, and relevant epidemiological comparative studies were screened using the Rayyan software. No limitations have been imposed on the research regarding oro-dental outcomes, encompassing all medically diagnosed EDs. The quality of the studies was valuated using AXIS appraisal tool for cross-sectional studies. RESULT: Out of 3990 studies, 32 fulfilled the eligibility criteria and were included in the synthesis. The identified eating disorders include Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and/or Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified, predominantly among female subjects, primarily originating from Europe. The evaluated oro-dental outcomes include dental erosion, caries, saliva assessment, hygiene-periodontal parameters, and mucosal tissue appearance. The association with erosion is confirmed while gingival recession, dentinal hypersensitivity, salivary flow thresholds and aspects relating to oral pathology are receiving increasing support from emerging evidence. DISCUSSION: This trend emphasizes the critical role of the complete intraoral examination to detect significant oro-dental signs that may indicate the onset of an ED.

The article is a review of existing studies that explores the link between eating disorders and oral health issues. It found that people with eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, may experience dental problems such as tooth erosion, cavities, and altered saliva production. The review findings emphasize the importance of dental care providers recognizing these signs early and suggests better training for dental professionals. By doing so, they can help diagnose eating disorders sooner and recommend appropriate treatment. This approach aims to improve patients' overall wellbeing by addressing both the oral health issues and the underlying eating disorders, making it essential for patients and medical teams to be aware of the interconnectedness between oral health and eating disorders.

Digital Anthropometry: A Systematic Review on Precision, Reliability and Accuracy of Most Popular Existing Technologies.

Digital anthropometry (DA) has been recently developed for body composition evaluation and for postural analysis. The aims of this review are to examine the current state of DA technology, as well as to verify the methods for identifying the best technology to be used in the field of DA by evaluating the reliability and accuracy of the available technologies on the market, and lay the groundwork for future technological developments. A literature search was performed and 28 studies met the inclusion criteria. The reliability and accuracy of DA was high in most studies, especially in the assessment of patients with obesity, although they varied according to the technology used; a good correlation was found between DA and conventional anthropometry (CA) and body composition estimates. DA is less time-consuming and less expensive and could be used as a screening tool before more expensive imaging techniques or as an alternative to other less affordable techniques. At present, DA could be useful in clinical practice, but the heterogeneity of the available studies (different devices used, laser technologies, population examined, etc.) necessitates caution in the interpretation of the obtained results. Furthermore, the need to develop integrated technologies for analyzing body composition according to multi-compartmental models is increasingly evident.

Innovative cooking techniques in a hospital food service: Effects on the quality of hospital meals.

OBJECTIVES: The hospital catering service plays a decisive role in responding to clinical and nutritional needs and in providing food that is acceptable to patients. Unfortunately, at the moment, most hospital catering services provide a service deemed insufficient by users and are burdened by a high proportion of food waste that may negatively affect the nutritional and clinical status of patients. The aim of this study was to verify the efficacy of the NI-Nutritional Intelligence project in improving the nutritional and sensorial quality of hospital meals. METHODS: The study was conducted in the Cristo Re Hospital of Rome (Italy), where two different cooking techniques were compared: traditional procedures and the low-aggression gastronomic procedures of the Niko Romito Food Processing Technique. Data were collected on both objective (food waste) and subjective (customer satisfaction) evaluations of the food service. RESULTS: The proportion of participants wasting at least 50% of dishes served dropped from 25.9% to 20% for the first course, from 32.8% to 20% for the main course, and from 29.3% to 20.4% for the side (P < 0.05 in all cases). Regarding customer satisfaction, the percentage of participants who gave a positive opinion on the variety of the menus gradually increased from 74.1% to 95% (P < 0.05). The same happened for opinions concerning the presentation of the dishes (smell, color, flavor): positive judgments went from 51.7% to 76% (P < 0.05). The overall scoring of the food service (0-10) went from 6.38 ± 2.3 to 7.6 ± 2.1 (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The hospital catering service must be able to provide patients with meals with an adequate supply of energy and nutrients to allow them to recover their health and reduce hospital stays. The Nutritional Intelligence project, based on the gastronomic method proposed in the Niko Romito Food Processing Technique, significantly reduces food waste and improves customer satisfaction without imposing service costs related to catering staff and foodstuffs.