The future of critical care nutrition: from calorie counting to precision personalized metabolism therapy
This article explores the evolving role of nutrition in critical care, highlighting the shift from standardized calorie-based approaches toward precision, personalized metabolic therapy.
Rather than relying solely on predictive equations, the future of critical care nutrition increasingly focuses on objectively assessing individual energy requirements and adapting nutritional support as the patient’s metabolic condition changes throughout critical illness and recovery.
The article highlights Indirect Calorimetry as an important tool in this personalized approach, alongside the monitoring of protein delivery, body composition and muscle status, with the goal of providing nutrition that better reflects each patient’s actual needs.
Moving from calorie counting to precision nutrition starts with measuring, not estimating. COSMED Q-NRG metabolic monitors bring this approach into clinical practice through Indirect Calorimetry, providing individualized measurements of Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) to support more precise, patient-centered nutrition strategies.
Article details:
- Title: The future of critical care nutrition: from calorie counting to precision personalized metabolism therapy
- Authors: Paul E Wischmeyer.
- Published in: Curr Opin Crit Care . 2026 Aug 1;32(4):321-324.
- DOI: 10.1097/MCC.0000000000001392
