Functional nutrition products help ensure quality of life

Nutrition requirements vary, for the individual and the community at large, based on concerns including aging and chronic illnesses. Proper nutrition can, however, ensure our health and wellbeing. It is thus important to tackle the most concerning nutritional issues with targeted solutions and products. According to Kristina Stuerke, Manager, Medical Nutrition APAC, on behalf of global health products company DSM Nutrition, medical nutrition is not a one-size-fits-all solution.

In APAC, there is a rise of diabetes mellitus in the elderly population; there is also a high interest and high demand for medical nutrition, which will help patients on their journeys to leading fruitful, healthy, and fulfilling lives in the face of a chronic illness.

Having a healthy and balanced diet is, of course, the first step to understanding nutrition. Unfortunately, our bodies may still grapple with issues such as absorption rates of various essential nutrients and vitamins. This is where care plans involving supplements and medical nutrition solutions can further address issues such as nutritional frailty.

Supplements, for example, are an efficient and effective way of delivering key nutrients or vitamins that our bodies are lacking, as well as a way to boost immunity, and tackle any underlying health issues such as heart or gut health.

There are also other solutions to assist elderly individuals who may be facing issues such as recovery from illness or cancer. It is essential for the body to preserve muscle health and decrease the risk of muscle loss for a successful recovery. With solutions that include nutritional lipids, DSM’s nutritional products help reduce further medical complications and also support the management of specific medical needs.

Stuerke adds that, as a patient and a consumer, it is important to be well-versed and educated about medical nutrition and its effects: DSM advises these individuals to maintain an open relationship with their healthcare providers – such as their GPs or dietitians – to understand what their bodies may be lacking in order to better prescribe what is needed.

This advice is also apparent in DSM’s Products with a Purpose campaign, launched late last year. Products with a Purpose specifically targets championing purpose behind the products that help solve nutritional challenge and keeps the growing global population healthy.

DSM believes that having a food-first approach is critical to optimising nutritional status. It endeavours to see the purpose behind every product, which will make a bigger difference in the lives of people all around the world – whether they are found in less-developed communities or our ageing population. DSM is able to support this because of their extensive nutritional ingredients portfolio, and the right applications and solutions for what they are looking into, backed by science and regulatory support.

DSM’s products – available throughout Southeast Asia – are nutritionally complete and can serve as a meal replacement especially in those who may have a range of ailments that impede them from eating or getting the right balance of nutrients to aid in healthy living. Such solutions help them avoid the risk of malnutrition, keep them mobile and active for longer, and improve their outcomes – whether this is seen through a reduction of length of stay in the hospital or a reduction in mortality rates.

Read: Creating a healthier lifestyle beyond the pandemic with Taiwanese healthcare

Category: Features, Wellness and Complementary Therapies