Medical Nutrition Matters Spring 2021 Volume 40 No. 4 - Spinal Cord Injury: Body Composition and Energy Expenditure

This product is free for DMNT members.

Obesity is a common complication often seen in individuals with a spinal cord injury which increases the risk of the individual developing chronic medical complications. Registered Dietitians/Nutritionists frequently use prediction equations to determine and individual’s energy needs, but these were not designed for individuals with a spinal cord injury and often overestimate their energy needs and the gold standard of indirect calorimetry is not always available. The objectives of this review were to determine if more current information was available to more accurately assess the energy needs for individuals with spinal cord injuries.

CPEU: 1.0
CPE Level: 1
Performance Indicators: 4.1.2, 6.2.5, 6.3.8

Learning Objectives

1. Identify spinal cord injury complications that are affected by obesity and body composition changes for those with spinal cord injuries
2. Assess metabolic changes in individuals with a spinal cord injury and how this contributes to obesity
3. Accurately determine energy needs for individuals with a spinal cord injury

Publish 2021
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