There’s no question that chronic illness and care is on the rise in our country. A 2016 Research and Markets report indicates that disease and health expenditures will increase 7.6 percent across the feeding tube market by 2020. Because of this expanding sector, homecare providers and consumers should feel empowered to validate the ingredient quality of the commercial feeding tube formulas that are available.
Why the Concern?
According to the Oral Cancer Foundation, tube-fed homecare patients often find they are food intolerant or allergic to commercial formulas, especially across long-term use. These formulas often contain highly-refined and processed artificial ingredients such as corn syrup, soybean oil, casein and other preservatives, which can influence the onset of various symptoms documented by the Oral Cancer Foundation such as: vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, retching or other allergic reactions.
Viable Solution
What many patients may need is a fresh, unprocessed, organic nutrition option made up of whole foods. Some patients and caregivers are even turning to their own homemade blended or liquefied whole food feeding tube formulas. However, homecare providers know these formulas require a lot of work to make, and without continual guidance there are potential food safety issues and the risk for nutritional imbalance for the patient.
Countering that risk, many patients now have an option to receive insurance-covered whole food feeding tube formulas that are nutritionally balanced and complete. One company that believes strongly that homecare patients should have the opportunity to choose what they put in their bodies, including an organic whole food option, is Functional Formularies. The company took the concept one step further and developed the only USDA-certified organic whole food feeding tube formula on the market. Its adult formula, Liquid Hope, provides five key benefits when compared to common commercial formulas.
Phytonutrients
Individuals requiring enteral support find it difficult to obtain any of the incredibly valuable phytonutrients found in vegetables and fruits. Entirely plant-based USDA-certified organic formulas such as those produced by Functional Formularies, only contain vegetables, legumes, grains and herbs.
While highly refined products may comprise an adequate provision of calories, protein and fortified or added vitamin and minerals for sole source nutrition, they lack plants’ two greatest diet contributions: phytonutrients and fermentable fiber. The Annals of Long-Term Care: Clinical Care also reports that commercial formulas are void of crucial micronutrients, indicating how the body has difficulty absorbing and digesting formulas made with refined ingredients that promote intestinal flora imbalances.
Researchers find in clinical trials that phytonutrients contain naturally occurring complementary molecules that help our bodies achieve balance, minimizing disease. These molecules offer significant anti-inflammatory benefits such as accelerated wound healing, cell recycling and improved bodily function.
Fermentable Fiber
The fermentable fiber found in vegetables is equally important. Fermentable fiber—as opposed to fortified fiber—is a prerequisite for a healthy gastrointestinal or GI system, which is commonly referred to as the microbiome, or the “forgotten organ.”
Because the body can slowly metabolize fermentable fiber, it creates healthy gastrointestinal bacteria, which supports less inflammation, better digestion and overall better health. Fermentable fiber also produces short chain fatty acids that nourish and line the intestinal tract, allowing for improved nutrient and mineral absorption.
The absence of fiber in a tube-feeding scenario may lead to the breakdown of the intestinal wall and add to a patient’s list of complications.
No Added Sugars
A growing body of evidence supports the damaging effects of sugar, yet commercial enteral formulas are laden with added, highly refined carbohydrates. These sugar-based ingredients include corn syrup solids, maltodextrin, glucose, fructose, sucrose and other sugar alcohols. Added sugar makes it difficult to regulate a patient’s glycemic levels, which may lead to poor circulation and inflammation, especially in the chronically ill.
USDA-certified organic formulas do not contain any highly-refined added sugars or fruit juice concentrates that could disrupt digestion or nutrient absorption.
GMO- and Pesticide-Free
Commercial enteral formulas contain heavy concentrations of corn and soybean oils, which are two of the primary genetically modified (GMO) crops in the United States. Because GMO corn and soybeans are hardwired to sustain heavy application of herbicides such as glyphosate, these chemicals are penetrating our food supply. The World Health Organization recently classified glyphosate as a carcinogen, meaning tube-fed, chronically ill homecare patients on commercial formulas are receiving daily doses of toxic chemicals. Glyphosates are known to disrupt several critical pathways required for an individual to attain proper health, and homecare providers know that reducing a chronically ill patient’s toxic burden improves the healing process.
However, most studies only address the independent effects of singular chemicals, leaving researchers unable to predict the synergistic consequences of consuming multiple toxins simultaneously in one meal, day after day. Why would we want to feed carcinogenic chemicals to anyone, much less the chronically ill, who are the most vulnerable members of society?
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Unlike commercial formulas ridden with refined omega-6 fatty acids, USDA-organic formulas such as those made by Functional Formularies contain organic flax oil, which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Olive and coconut oils are other sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory, protecting tissues and organs from infection, which support general brain and heart health. Conversely, because vegetable oil production requires an intensive chemical and mechanical process to remove oil from the seeds, all nutrient values are lost, which oxidizes and damages the quality of omega-6 fatty acids.
An organic, whole foods formula option provides complete nutrition, supporting not only the long-term health of homecare patients, but also the overall vitality of our growing chronically ill population. It truly is a human right to have access to food—no matter what kind of food you choose, no matter where you are.
