Nutritional assessment by a new method for patients with renal disease

Evaluation of the amount of food intake is very important in the control of diet therapy. Previously 3-day food records have been used to examine the food intake of hemodialysis (HD) patients. However, these records are problematic with regard to calculation errors and food intake is not stable as the range is almost 3-fold. Especially in HD patients, food intake is different on HD and non-HD days. Thus, the food intake of HD patients must be studied over at least a week. A diet history questionnaire (DHQ) has recently been developed and may be useful for HD patients with unstable food intakes, and to examine or compare the mass examination. Our data, evaluated by DHQ, showed the shortage of many nutrients recommended for HD patients in the guidelines of the Japanese Society of Nephrology, and showed that grains are just as important as meat, fish, and milk products as a source of protein in Japanese patients.