Nutritional factors affecting wound healing.

The consistent relationship between poor nutritional status and risk of complications forms the cornerstone of nutritional support. Yet there is controversy about the ability of nutritional support to reduce complications or improve wound healing. This controversy stems from a number of issues. Diagnosing poor nutrition is not always easy and straight forward. There is sometimes a question whether a patient is malnourished or simply in overall poor health. Studies examining the relationship between nutrition and patient outcome are typically based on animal rather than human models. Even in clinical settings, aspects of care such as enteral or parenteral nutrient delivery may decrease the benefit of nutritional support, making outcomes even harder to measure. The effect of specific nutrients have been examined, such as protein, amino acids, vitamins C and A, and zinc. However, there are still questions regarding how much individual supplementation of a nutrient will positively affect overall outcomes. Although the relationship between specific nutrients and wound healing is not clearly defined by current studies, each patient should be provided with a complete, balanced therapeutic diet. There is at least suggestive evidence that improvement in nutritional status can improve outcomes of wound healing.