Fundamentos humanos e históricos de la nutrición clínica

Abstract

To improve our understanding on the purpose of clinical nutrition as a scientfic discipline that supports medicine and other health sciences, and the professional obligation of clinicians towards it, we must ponder it from a historical background. Modern nutrition had been regarded as a science grounded on biochemistry until the 20th century, when it starts to be acknowledged that specialization is not enough and requires considering the complexity of eating patterns. These are determined by the person and the environment in which he or she develops. Therefore, designing a nutritional intervention involves having enough information on the patient to implement a therapy that helps improve their lives by promoting care and responsibility through education, just as the former dietary therapists did.