VIDEO: Half of patients with obesity face nutritional deficiencies
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DENVER — It is important for clinicians to check for nutritional deficiencies in patients with obesity, a speaker at the Obesity Medicine Association conference noted.
Patients with obesity “can have a variety of different nutritional deficiencies ... [which] may not be obvious to us in the moment as we’re seeing them in our office,” Lydia C. Alexander, MD, FOMA, DABOM, DABLM, incoming president of the Obesity Medicine Association and chief medical officer of Enara Health, explained.
She pointed out that 50% of patients with obesity can have nutritional deficiencies.
A few important nutritional deficiencies that physicians should look for in patients with obesity include vitamin D, thymine (vitamin B1) and vitamin C, Alexander said.
She also recommended that clinicians be mindful when patients are on medications, “which can also deplete some of these micronutrients.”
Ultimately, “food as medicine can be a very powerful tool that we use as part of the four pillars for obesity treatment,” Alexander said.
Reference:
- Alexander L. Using food as medicine to treat disease. Presented at: Obesity Medicine 2024. April 24-28, 2024; Denver.