Nutrition therapy is a medical treatment that focuses on providing adequate and balanced nutrition to help patients manage various medical conditions, promote recovery, improve overall health, and enhance quality of life. It involves the use of a personalized dietary plan, supplements, and enteral or parenteral nutrition support, as needed, under the guidance of healthcare professionals such as registered dietitians or nutritionists.

The goals of nutrition therapy may include:

1. Meeting nutritional needs and optimizing growth and development in children and adolescents.
2. Preventing or treating malnutrition due to illness, injury, or surgery.
3. Managing chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, or gastrointestinal disorders by controlling risk factors, reducing symptoms, and slowing the progression of the condition.
4. Supporting patients during cancer treatment to maintain strength, promote healing, and improve their response to therapy.
5. Providing nutrition support for individuals with eating disorders, food allergies, or intolerances.
6. Enhancing overall health and well-being through education on healthy eating habits and lifestyle modifications.

Nutrition therapy is an essential component of comprehensive healthcare and should be tailored to each individual's unique needs, preferences, and medical history.

Enteral nutrition refers to the delivery of nutrients to a person through a tube that is placed into the gastrointestinal tract, specifically into the stomach or small intestine. This type of nutrition is used when a person is unable to consume food or liquids by mouth due to various medical conditions such as swallowing difficulties, malabsorption, or gastrointestinal disorders.

Enteral nutrition can be provided through different types of feeding tubes, including nasogastric tubes, which are inserted through the nose and down into the stomach, and gastrostomy or jejunostomy tubes, which are placed directly into the stomach or small intestine through a surgical incision.

The nutrients provided through enteral nutrition may include commercially prepared formulas that contain a balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals, or blenderized whole foods that are pureed and delivered through the feeding tube. The choice of formula or type of feed depends on the individual's nutritional needs, gastrointestinal function, and medical condition.

Enteral nutrition is a safe and effective way to provide nutrition support to people who are unable to meet their nutritional needs through oral intake alone. It can help prevent malnutrition, promote wound healing, improve immune function, and enhance overall health and quality of life.

Parenteral nutrition (PN) is a medical term used to describe the delivery of nutrients directly into a patient's bloodstream through a vein, bypassing the gastrointestinal tract. It is a specialized medical treatment that is typically used when a patient cannot receive adequate nutrition through enteral feeding, which involves the ingestion and digestion of food through the mouth or a feeding tube.

PN can be used to provide essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes to patients who have conditions that prevent them from absorbing nutrients through their gut, such as severe gastrointestinal tract disorders, malabsorption syndromes, or short bowel syndrome.

PN is administered through a catheter that is inserted into a vein, typically in the chest or arm. The nutrient solution is prepared under sterile conditions and delivered through an infusion pump to ensure accurate and controlled delivery of the solution.

While PN can be a life-saving intervention for some patients, it also carries risks such as infection, inflammation, and organ damage. Therefore, it should only be prescribed and administered by healthcare professionals with specialized training in this area.

Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) are the average daily levels of nutrients that are sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97-98%) healthy individuals in a specific life stage and gender group. They are considered as the gold standard for establishing nutrient intake recommendations and are used as a benchmark for planning and assessing the nutrient intakes of individuals and populations. The RDAs are established by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in the United States. They represent the minimum daily amounts of various nutrients that are necessary to prevent deficiencies and maintain good health.

Malnutrition is a condition that results from eating a diet in which one or more nutrients are either not enough or are too much such that the body's function is not maintained. It can also refer to a deficiency or excess of vitamins, minerals, protein, energy, and/or water. This condition can have negative effects on physical and mental health. Malnutrition includes undernutrition (wasting, stunting, underweight), overnutrition (overweight, obesity) and micronutrient deficiencies or excesses.

It's important to note that malnutrition is different from malabsorption, which is the inability to absorb nutrients from food. Malabsorption can also lead to malnutrition if it results in a lack of necessary nutrients for the body's function.

"Formulated food" is a term used in the field of clinical nutrition to refer to foods that are specially manufactured and designed to meet the nutritional needs of specific patient populations. These foods often come in the form of shakes, bars, or pouches and are intended to be used as a sole source or supplementary source of nutrition for individuals who have difficulty meeting their nutritional needs through traditional food sources alone.

Formulated foods may be indicated for patients who have medical conditions that affect their ability to eat or digest regular food, such as dysphagia (swallowing difficulties), malabsorption syndromes, or chronic inflammatory bowel disease. They may also be used in patients who require additional nutritional support during times of illness, injury, or recovery from surgery.

Formulated foods are typically designed to provide a balance of macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) that meet the recommended dietary intakes for specific patient populations. They may also contain additional ingredients such as fiber, probiotics, or other nutraceuticals to provide additional health benefits.

It is important to note that formulated foods should only be used under the guidance of a healthcare professional, such as a registered dietitian or physician, to ensure that they are appropriate for an individual's specific medical and nutritional needs.

Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) is a medical term used to describe a specialized nutritional support system that is delivered through a vein (intravenously). It provides all the necessary nutrients that a patient needs, such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals. TPN is typically used when a patient cannot eat or digest food through their gastrointestinal tract for various reasons, such as severe malabsorption, intestinal obstruction, or inflammatory bowel disease. The term "total" indicates that the nutritional support is complete and meets all of the patient's nutritional needs.

Nutritional status is a concept that refers to the condition of an individual in relation to their nutrient intake, absorption, metabolism, and excretion. It encompasses various aspects such as body weight, muscle mass, fat distribution, presence of any deficiencies or excesses of specific nutrients, and overall health status.

A comprehensive assessment of nutritional status typically includes a review of dietary intake, anthropometric measurements (such as height, weight, waist circumference, blood pressure), laboratory tests (such as serum albumin, total protein, cholesterol levels, vitamin and mineral levels), and clinical evaluation for signs of malnutrition or overnutrition.

Malnutrition can result from inadequate intake or absorption of nutrients, increased nutrient requirements due to illness or injury, or excessive loss of nutrients due to medical conditions. On the other hand, overnutrition can lead to obesity and related health problems such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain types of cancer.

Therefore, maintaining a good nutritional status is essential for overall health and well-being, and it is an important consideration in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of various medical conditions.

A nutrition survey is not a medical term per se, but it is a research method used in the field of nutrition and public health. Here's a definition:

A nutrition survey is a study design that systematically collects and analyzes data on dietary intake, nutritional status, and related factors from a defined population or sample. It aims to describe the nutritional situation, identify nutritional problems, and monitor trends in a population over time. Nutrition surveys can be cross-sectional, longitudinal, or community-based and may involve various data collection methods such as interviews, questionnaires, observations, physical measurements, and biological samples. The results of nutrition surveys are used to inform nutrition policies, programs, and interventions aimed at improving the nutritional status and health outcomes of populations.

Nutritional Sciences is a field of study that deals with the scientific examination and understanding of nutrients in food, how the body uses them, and the relationship between diet, health, and disease. It encompasses various disciplines including biochemistry, physiology, molecular biology, epidemiology, and clinical nutrition.

The field covers several key areas such as:

1. Nutrient metabolism: This involves studying how nutrients are digested, absorbed, transported, stored, and utilized in the body for energy production, growth, maintenance, and reproduction.
2. Diet and disease prevention: Nutritional sciences investigate the role of diet in preventing or managing various health conditions like obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer.
3. Functional foods and nutraceuticals: This area focuses on studying the potential health benefits of specific foods or food components beyond their basic nutritional value, including functional foods (foods that have demonstrated health benefits) and nutraceuticals (nutrient-rich supplements derived from food sources).
4. Public health nutrition: Nutritional sciences also address population-wide nutrition issues, such as malnutrition, food insecurity, and the development of public policies related to food and health.
5. Clinical nutrition: This subfield applies nutritional principles and research findings to patient care, focusing on developing individualized dietary plans for patients with various medical conditions.

Overall, Nutritional Sciences aims to provide a solid scientific foundation for making informed dietary choices and promoting optimal health outcomes across populations and individuals.