Research
Hormonal
Disease-associated inflammation is a primary etiologic driver of malnutrition, causing anorexia, increased resting energy expenditure, and muscle catabolism, distinct from simple starvation.
In sick patients, malnutrition isn't just about not eating enough; the body's inflammatory response actively breaks down muscle and increases energy needs. Treating the inflammation is as important as providing nutrition.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Inflammation contributes to malnutrition through associated anorexia and decreased food intake, as well as altered metabolism with elevation of resting energy expenditure and increased muscle catabolism.
Why this rating
Supported by cited literature (refs 1-3) and consensus.
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
- 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).Strong
- 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 · Hormonal
- Initial treatment for type 2 diabetes should be a combination of metformin and either an SGLT-2 inhibitor or a GLP-1 receptor agonist to achieve cardiorenal protection, rather than monotherapy or older agents like sulfonylureas.Strong
- For patients with specific monogenic obesity syndromes (leptin deficiency, POMC/PCSK1/LEPR mutations), targeted pharmacotherapy (recombinant leptin or setmelanotide) is highly effective and should be prioritized, unlike in polygenic obesity.Strong
- Continued weekly administration of 2.4 mg subcutaneous semaglutide prevents weight regain and promotes further weight loss in adults with overweight or obesity, whereas switching to placebo results in significant weight regain.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →