People who are hospitalized with chronic heart failure should be fed fresh and balanced meals to keep their ticker in tip-top shape.
The typical tray of hospital food is not the medicine these patients need.
In Switzerland, among 645 people hospitalized with chronic heart failure, a randomized trial found those who were given regular hospital food – as opposed to a personal nutrition plan – had an almost doubled risk of mortality within 30 days.
The findings suggest the lack of nutrition found in most hospital food could be putting the health and well-being of vulnerable patients at serious risk.
Hospital food has a reputation for being pre-packaged and heavily processed, so this may not be a huge surprise.
Evidence suggests these patients should instead be focusing on fruits and vegetables, while limiting their intake of sodium and fluids.
"Clearly," the authors write, "there is need for additional trials validating our findings in the population of patients with chronic heart failure including also continued outpatient treatment.". »
