Micronutrition relies on nutritional advice for personalized care needs of the patient.
ORIGIN OF MICRONUTRIENT
The concept of micro-nutrition was initiated by physicians in 1992. The idea of its founder, Dr. Christian Leclerc, was to contribute to the health medicine, complementary medicine of the disease.
This new discipline is based on both nutritional and functional biology and individualized preventive medicine. It was built especially around advanced research on the links between nutrition and health.
Micronutrition is not yet officially recognized by the WHO or the High Authority of Health. It is taught by the European Institute of Dietetics and micronutrition since 1997, and also in Dijon since 2001 as part of university degree “health and micronutrient supply.”
PRINCIPLE OF MICRONUTRIENT
Beyond the general principles of dietary recommendations issued for the greatest number, micronutrition attaches great importance to the nutritional advice and personalized supplementation. Taking into account the personal needs of each individual, nutritional advice is likely to be better monitoring and more effective.
The practitioner micronutrition adapts effect on the personality of the subject, that is to say its food style and his personal relationship to food.It takes into account his health, the result of interactions between genetic predisposition and lifestyle.
The micronutritionist observe the particular needs of a person according to his digestive capacity, its activities, its time disturbances (infection, inflammation, medication) and its current or past habits (smoking, alcohol …).
WHY CONSULT A MICRONUTRITIONIST?
Experts recommend micronutrition under:
– Disorders of the digestive operation: assimilation of food, comfort and digestive transit;
– Allergy, intolerance, intestinal permeability problems;
– Mood and sleep, eating disorders, smoking (tobacco, alcohol, drugs);
– Functional disorders: chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia;
– Prevention of cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome;
– Prevention and support in the field of overweight and its cardiometabolic complications;
– Nutrition prevention in people with osteoporosis or fragile states;
– The fight against aging and degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, arthritis, osteoporosis
– Support the sports regime: performance optimization, better tolerance of training and good recovery.
HOW DOES ONE PRACTICE MICRONUTRITION?
Micronutritioncan be done in individual sessions with the referring physician in micronutrition. It is based on nutritional advice and counseling on dietary supplements.
Consultation micronutrition includes two sequences:
– The first is to identify and assess micronutrient deficiencies and dietary imbalances;
– The second is to correct the observed perturbations.
Specific screening tools such as food and functional questionnaires, assisted if necessary by explorations of nutritional and functional biology, to assess individual needs.
CONS-INDICATIONS TO THE USE OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS
The use of dietary supplements is not trivial. It is of interest to the health of an individual to the extent that his power does not give him the nutrients in sufficient quantities.
Some nutritional supplements should not be consumed blind, especially among certain populations. The best known example is that of beta-carotene: beyond a certain daily dose negative effects (increased risk of cancer) may occur especially in smokers.
Micronutrition recommends that the Board of dietary supplements is performed by a competent health professional.
WHAT HAPPENS DURING CONSULTATION MICRONUTRITION?
Consultation micronutrition used to determine the way a person eats to identify potential deficits from which she suffers.The micronutritionist begins by identifying the origin of disturbances health.
Screening tools available to the micronutritionist
They include food and functional questionnaires, as well as the exploration of biomarkers.
– The dietary questionnaire: the patient must carefully note what they eat for a week, to analyze their feeding behavior.He then realized by himself his underconsumption or overconsumption of its food family. With the help of micronutritionist, it will determine his daily portions, while trying to correct the imbalances in the food pyramid.
– Screening of micronutrient deficiency is used to detect the impact of food on the functioning of an organism. It includes functional disorders in five categories: mood disorders and fatigue, functional gastrointestinal disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, skin disorders and circulatory disorders.
– The DNS Questionnaire (dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin) measures the impact of diet on brain function. It allows you to specify possible causes of sleep disorders, depressed or concentration.
– The QMS (questionnaire Health Medicine) is the new functional assessment tool offered to referring medical health doctors on the Internet. It can be completed by the patient before the first consultation. The information is organized into five categories of functional disturbances having a very close relationship with the nutritional needs: cell protection, cell communication, digestive interface, brain function, cardiometabolic function.
After analyzing these questionnaires, the micronutritionist may decide to refine his research by nutritional and functional laboratory tests:
– Assays to identify deficits and the level of digestive disturbance;
– Assessment of oxidative stress;
– Needs assessment and patient consumption of omega 3 and omega 6;
– Evaluation of deficits in neurotransmitters.
How to correct disturbances observed?
The correction strategy is to offer a food and adjustment, if necessary, an individualized supplementation.
The food adjustment board draws overall model Cretan Mediterranean inspiration, and particularly emphasizes the following points:
– limit voids interested in protective micronutrients found in fruits and vegetables calories;
– promote cereal products with high micronutrient density (whole grains and legumes);
– Avoid the hidden salt, especially in industrial products;
– Promoting food associations to ensure a good acid-base balance;
– Choose salad oils with a good ratio of omega 3 and 6 (olive / canola, rapeseed, walnut);
– ensure the good tolerance of the food consumed by checking their impact on digestive function.
Food supplementation is always customized. It acts quickly to relieve the functional disorders of the patient. It is possible to classify supplements four major families:
– Probiotics and prebiotics act on the digestive interface by their role as modulator of intestinal permeability;
– Antioxidants act on cell protection;
– PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids, including omega-3) promote cell communication; citrate minerals correct the acid-base imbalance;
– The peptides or protein fractions act on brain function as precursors of neurotransmitters.
At each consultation, the results of the functional evolution of questionnaires allows a glimpse of the benefits experienced and adjust advice.
HOW TO CHOOSE A SPECIALIST MICRONUTRITION?
Practitioners of micronutrition or micronutritionnistes are health professionals, often general practitioners, who have chosen to diversify their therapeutic tools with a preventive method.
The European Institute of dietary micronutrient and in 2000 established the Inter-University degree “health and micronutrient supply”. Its website provides patients a contact form for information on professional near you.
DURATION AND COST OF A MICRONUTRITION SESSION
Depending on the complexity of the problems, a consultation with a specialistmicronutrition lasts between 30 minutes and an hour. It takes on average 65 euros.
Social Security reimburses consultations micronutrition to 70% on the basis of consultation with a general practitioner (23 euros). The supplement is supported by some mutual funds.
In contrast, laboratory tests (nutritional biology and functional biology) receive no refund. The cost of assessments varies from 50 to 200 euros for the most complete.
BOOKS ON MICRONUTRITION
– “All the benefits of micronutrient” Dr. Didier Chos, ed. Flammarion a book to better understand the craft of micronutritionist, including preventive programs based on its profile eater.
– “Micronutrition health and performance”, Denis Riche, ed. Boeck: the book defines the concepts and nutritional know-how related to micronutrient in sports.
