Food Safety Risks and Nutritional Health Assessment

Food Contamination Risks

A food item is potentially at risk of contamination from the time of harvest until it is consumed. The risks related to food safety can be classified into:

• Microbiological contamination: Bacteria, fungi, viruses, or parasites. Often causes severe symptoms.
• Chemical contaminants: Natural substances, residues of veterinary drugs, heavy metals, etc., unintentionally introduced into the food supply during cultivation, breeding, processing, transportation, or packaging.

Common Food Contaminants

• Heavy metals
• Shellfish toxins
• Mycotoxins
• Pesticide Residues
• Environmental organic chemicals

Factors Influencing Contaminant Risk

The health risk posed by a contaminant depends on several factors:

• Absorption and toxicity of the substance
• Amount present in the food
• Quantity of contaminated food consumed
• Duration of exposure
• Individual sensitivity

Sources of Toxins in Food

Toxins can originate from various sources:

• Naturally occurring: Found inherently in some foods.
• Environmental pollution: Contamination from the surroundings.
• Added substances: Intentionally or unintentionally added.
• Mycotoxins: From fungi (e.g., aflatoxin, patulin, ochratoxin).
• Protease inhibitors: Found in legumes.
• Hemagglutinins or lectins: Found in legumes.
• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): Resulting from cooking methods like smoking or grilling.

Nutritional Status Assessment

An individual's nutritional status reflects how well their physiological nutrient needs are met. Nutritional assessment aims to:

• Detect nutritional deficiencies.
• Guide actions to correct identified problems.
• Identify characteristics associated with nutritional issues.
• Identify patients at nutritional risk.

Components of Nutritional Assessment

This assessment is part of the clinical examination and relies on data from the anamnesis (patient history), physical examination, and laboratory tests. A nutritional diagnosis results from the integrated interpretation of specific nutritional and clinical information.

Anamnesis (Patient History)

• Food History: While not sufficient for a diagnosis alone, it can suggest a risk of malnutrition.
• Requires understanding food consumption trends, often gathered via surveys.
• Should include questions about dietary habits and tolerances to inform recovery strategies.
• Weight History: Significant changes in body weight and the timeframe over which they occur can indicate malnutrition (or risk thereof) and whether it's acute or chronic.

Physical Examination

Determining body weight provides an overall assessment of nutritional status, encompassing all body components without differentiating between them. Key components include:

• Fat Mass: Includes subcutaneous tissue, internal organ fat, associated membrane lipids, and circulating lipids.
• Lean Mass: Comprises approximately 70% water and 40-45% skeletal muscle. Its composition is roughly 19% protein, 7% minerals, and 1% carbohydrate.