Research
Mixed
Diagnosing malnutrition in adults requires the presence of at least one phenotypic criterion (non-volitional weight loss, low BMI, or reduced muscle mass) AND at least one etiologic criterion (reduced food intake/assimilation or disease burden/inflammation).
To diagnose malnutrition, you cannot rely on just one factor. You must find evidence of physical change (like weight loss, low BMI, or muscle loss) AND evidence of a cause (like poor eating or active inflammation/disease). Both must be present.
StrongSupportsHIGH confidence
To diagnose malnutrition at least 1 phenotypic criterion and 1 etiologic criterion should be present.
Why this rating
Consensus guideline from major global societies (ASPEN, ESPEN, etc.).
Source
GLIM Criteria for the Diagnosis of Malnutrition: A Consensus Report From the Global Clinical Nutrition Community
Gordon L. Jensen et al. · Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition · 2018
DOI 10.1002/jpen.1440
clinical_guidelineCited 1,417×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Disease-associated inflammation is a primary etiologic driver of malnutrition, causing anorexia, increased resting energy expenditure, and muscle catabolism, distinct from simple starvation.Good
- Reduced muscle mass is a critical phenotypic criterion for malnutrition, measurable via body composition techniques (DXA, BIA, CT) or anthropometrics (calf/arm circumference) when advanced tools are unavailable.Good
Related findings · Mixed
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- For patients with Class III obesity (BMI >39.9 kg/m2), metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) is significantly more effective than any currently approved medication, with BilioPancreatic Diversion (BPD) showing the highest estimated weight loss.Strong
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