CHAPTER 07 | Obtain Routine Nutrition Screening Data
• High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) Cholesterol Normal Range*: >40 mg/dL
Significance: This fraction of ”good” cholesterol is favored to be >40 mg/dL; a number lower than 40 suggests intervention with a healthy heart diet may be beneficial. See Chapter 6 for more information on cardiovascular disease.
• Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) Cholesterol Normal Range*: <130 mg/dL optimal
Significance: This fraction of “bad” cholesterol is favored to be <130 mg/dL; a number higher than 100 suggests intervention with a healthy heart diet may be beneficial. See Chapter 6 for more information on cardiovascular disease.
• Serum Triglyceride Normal Range*: <150 mg/dL
Significance: High triglycerides >150 mg/ dL may be seen in clients with a diagnosis of heart disease. Triglycerides are a type of fat in the blood because of a high saturated fat and/or high sugar diet. Any calories a person eats that are not used for energy are converted into triglycerides, which move around in the blood until they are deposited into a fat cell. Triglycerides >150 mg/dL suggests intervention with a healthy heart diet may be beneficial. If the person is also a diabetic, nutrition intervention and/or education may be necessary to reduce intake of added sugars. See Chapter 6 for more information on cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Renal Disease
Clients with a diagnosis of renal (kidney) disease in their health record will often have their serum potassium, BUN, and creatinine monitored. There are several lab values that are useful to understand the status of a client’s renal disease.
• Serum Potassium Normal Range*: 3.5–5.0 mEq/L
Significance: Potassium can be elevated with varying levels of renal failure up to and including being on dialysis. Clients with elevated potassium levels may benefit from a low potassium diet and nutrition education to help avoid foods highest in potassium. On the other hand, potassium may be low with diuretic medications or diarrhea; this is corrected with prescribed potassium supplements. Either elevated or very low levels of potassium can become life-threatening, so potassium is closely monitored in those clients known to have these fluctuations.
LDL cholesterol levels above 100 mg/dL and triglycerides above 150 mg/dL suggest that dietary interventions may be beneficial for heart health.
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Nutrition Fundamentals and Medical Nutrition Therapy