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Copyright of Praxis (16618157) is the property of Aerzteverlag medinfo AG and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Praxis (16618157) is the property of Aerzteverlag medinfo AG and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: To compare the nutritional intake of patients with acute and chronic spinal cord injury (SCI)., Design: Cross-sectional, observational study., Setting: Spinal cord unit., Methods: Twelve in-house patients of a spinal cord unit with acute SCI and paralysis duration of 5.3 ± 2.5 months (acute group) were compared with 12 subjects with chronic SCI (chronic group) with lesion duration of 55.5 ± 21.0 months. All subjects recorded their nutritional intake for 7 days, which was analyzed for intake of energy, proteins, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, mineral nutrients, fluid, and dietary fiber. Resting energy expenditure (REE) and total body fat were also determined., Results: The chronic group showed a significantly higher total body fat content compared to the acute group (19.4 ± 3.8 vs. 15.7 ± 4.3%). All other parameters were not significantly different between groups. Both groups ingested excessive fat and insufficient amounts of carbohydrates compared with common nutritional recommendations. Low intakes of vitamins C, D, E, biotin, folic acid, as well as potassium and iron were found., Conclusions: No differences were found in the nutritional intakes of two comparable groups of subjects with acute and chronic SCI. Independent of lesion duration, subjects with SCI showed considerable deviations from the general accepted nutritional recommendations concerning macro- and micronutrients intake. Professional nutritional education for persons with SCI should start as soon as possible after injury to prevent nutrition-related secondary complications like cardiovascular diseases. Periodic determinations of body fat content and REE combined with a physical activity program might be helpful as well.

The 2007 Swiss Health Survey is the fourth survey conducted on a random sample of nearly 19,000 adults, living in Switzerland. 37% are overweight or obese, but between 2002 and 2007 no increases in the prevalence of overweight and obesity were observed anymore. Overweight and obesity are associated with a number of socio-demographic and life-style factors. 9% of 15 to 34 years old women are underweight. Of the group of 15 to 49 years old men and women, 52% would like to change their body weight (to loose weight 87%, to gain weight 13%). 20% of them eat very irregularly and binge eating happens to 22%. In summary, life-style modifications are needed in relation to overweight, underweight and eating disorders.

The 2007 Swiss Health Survey is the fourth survey conducted by the Federal Office of Statistics in intervals of five years. Data are collected from a random sample (n = 18760) of persons aged 15 and over, living in Switzerland: 29% are overweight, and additional 8% are obese, but between 2002 and 2007 no increases in the prevalence of overweight and obesity were observed anymore. In relation to nutritional habits, nearly 30% of the interviewed persons do not care about their nutrition. Only 30% of the population eat the recommended five portions of fruits and vegetables per day, and only 10% consume the recommended three servings of milk and milk products. 37% do rarely or never consume fish. Nearly 20% eat meat or meat products every day. According to the four Swiss Health Surveys nutritional habits have hardly improved during the last fifteen years in Switzerland.