Abstract
This study aimed at finding whether healthy eating habits could be introduced to and maintained by chronically mentally ill permanent residents of a nursing home. Of interest was also if the effects of the dietary intervention would be observable as improved carbohydrate and lipid metabolism indicators were selected. Assays covered 30 antipsychotics-treated residents diagnosed with schizophrenia. The prospective method applied involved questionnaires, nutrition-related interviews, anthropometric measurements, and determination of selected biochemical parameters of the blood. The dietary intervention as well as the parallel health-promoting nutrition-related education was aimed at balancing the energy and nutrient contents. Schizophrenia patients were shown to be capable of accepting and observing the principles of appropriate nutrition. The intervention was strong enough to result in a significant blood glucose concentration drop to the reference level in all patients, regardless of the antipsychotic they were treated with. The blood lipid levels also improved, but the reduction in triacylglycerols, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels was significant in the male patients only. Nutritional changes were reflected in overweight and obese women only, in body weight reduction and in waist adipose tissue loss.
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