Improvement in insulin resistance and favourable changes in plasma inflammatory adipokines after weight loss associated with two months' consumption of a combination of bioactive food ingredients in overweight subjects.

This randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled, 8 week trial assessed the efficacy on metabolic changes produced by a consumption of a combination of bioactive food ingredients (epigallocatechin gallate, capsaicins, piperine and L-carnitine) versus a placebo, as part of a therapeutic 'lifestyle change' diet, in 86 overweight subjects. Forty-one patients (2/14 F/M; age 43.7 ± 8.

Senile anorexia in different geriatric settings in Italy.

Objectives: Anorexia is the most frequent modification of eating habits in old age, which may lead to malnutrition and consequent morbidity and mortality in older adults. We aimed to estimate the prevalence and factors associated to anorexia in a sample of Italian older persons living in different settings. Our secondary aim was to evaluate the impact of senile anorexia on nutritional status and on eating habits, as well as on functional status.

[Obesity and Eating Disorders. Indications for the different levels of care. An Italian Expert Consensus Document].

This paper is an Italian Expert Consensus Document on multidimensional treatment of obesity and eating disorders. The Document is based on a wide survey of expert opinion. It presents, in particular, considerations regarding how clinicians go about choosing the most appropriate site of treatment for a given patient suffering from obesity and/or eating disorders: outpatient, partial hospitalization, residential rehabilitation centre, inpatient hospitalization.

[A survey on diet manuals in Italian hospitals].

Hospital catering is very important to counteract the onset of malnutrition due to either undernutrition or overnutrition and for dietetic treatment. The aim of the study was to evaluate nutritional quality of the hospital dietetic manual used in some Italian hospitals and to analyze the role of the institutional Catering Service and of the Department of Clinical Nutrition. A survey has been carried out, in some Italian hospitals, using a questionnaire to point out the characteristics of hospitals, the typology of catering service, of the diets and of the staff of the Department of Clinical Nutrition.

Multidisciplinary approach to obesity.

Unlabelled: Obesity, associated with morbidity and mortality, is a complex disorder, characterised by an increase in fat mass (FM). Most authors agree in considering essential an integrated treatment made up of nutritional intervention, physical reconditioning programme and cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy. However, the feasibility is problematic and data in literature confirming the validity of this approach are poor.

Improvement in the quality of the catering service of a rehabilitation hospital.

Background: Malnutrition due to undernutrition or overnutrition is highly prevalent in hospital in-patients and it decisively conditions patients clinical outcome. One of the most influencing factors of malnutrition in hospitalized patients is--at least in part--the Catering Service Quality.

Aim: Is to verify, over a 5 year period, the course of the quality of the institutional Catering Service, verifying the effectiveness of the quality improvement process used.

[The quality of a restaurant service at a geriatric rehabilitation facility].

The aim of our study was to measure the quality of a restaurant service of a geriatric rehabilitation and long-term setting as it is perceived from patients compared with an objective measure of the quality. We have also verified the weight of the restaurant service on the whole quality of the hospital. Our data showed some problems in the organisation of the service, a substantially negative judgment from patients, the necessity to integrate subjective judgments with objective evaluations.