The provision of nutritional support for critically ill patients continues to be the subject of intense debate, with the central question being the optimal energy and protein intake for ICU patients. However, most studies that have examined this area have used predictive equations, demonstrated to be inaccurate to target energy intake.

In this research study, the investigators looked at the 60-day mortality outcome of a large cohort of ICU patients in relation to the percent of administered calories divided by resting energy expenditure (REE) with REE obtained by indirect calorimetry.

A key message from the study was how both under- and over-feeding appear to harmful to critically ill patients and that the use of indirect calorimetry should be a core assessment tool in the ICU setting.

For the shownotes, please go to: https://dietitianconnection.com/podcasts/podcasts-journalclub/episode-2/

Food nourishes the body and mind, so could an effective way to manage depression be found in the kitchen?

A healthy diet is a common feature linked to a positive mental outlook, but the problem with most of the observational research validating this link is that it is hard to tease out which comes first.

In one of the first studies of its kind, a 12-week randomised-controlled trial set out is to explicitly seek to answer the question: if I improve my diet, will my mental health improve?

In this podcast, details of the study, dietary intervention and implications for translating the work into practice are covered.

For the shownotes, go to: https://dietitianconnection.com/podcasts/podcasts-journalclub/episode-1/

Welcome to the DC Journal Club Podcast. Our very first episode will be released in February 2018 and will be hosted by Dr Tim Crowe – who will be bringing you a series of podcasts to get you up to speed on the latest in clinical dietetics research.

For now, all you have to do is subscribe (for FREE) and you'll be notified when the first podcast episode is released.

Thanks for listening and for renewing your commitment to lifelong learning. We'll see you in episode 1 with Dr Tim Crowe!