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Liquid & Food Thickener

Food Thickeners help individuals who experience difficulty with swallowing (dysphagia) and are at risk of dehydration, malnutrition, choking and aspiration. Drink thickeners can help with the management of a dysphagia diet. They change textures and make it easier to chew or swallow food, and reduce the risk of liquid or food going down the trachea or windpipe, which leads to the lungs. Beverage thickeners are also designed to decrease the risk of liquid aspiration.

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Dysphagia and Food Thickeners

Introduction

A type of digestive system disorder, dysphagia is a common disease that causes difficulty or discomfort in swallowing foods and beverages. It can be associated with pain and occur in patients of any age, but it is more common in adults and the elderly.

Impact on Quality of Life

We take for granted that we can swallow food after we chew, drink or even take medication and have it travel through the esophagus to the stomach. Disrupting this process negatively impacts a patient’s quality of life.

Causes and Risks

Patients develop dysphagia for a number of reasons: nervous system damage, a stroke, a traumatic brain injury, cancer or cognitive decline. In addition to swallowing difficulties, patients living with dysphagia are more likely to choke or drool on themselves and have higher risks for infections.

Common Signs of Dysphagia

  • Taking more than 10 seconds to swallow
  • Poor motivation and weakness
  • Lacking the ability to chew
  • Gagging or choking
  • Drooling or oral leaking
  • Regurgitation
  • Frequent heartburn
  • Unexpected weight loss
  • Having to cut food into small pieces
  • Pocketing food within the cheeks

Benefits of Beverage Thickeners

Drink thickeners prevent thin liquids from moving quickly down the throat and help reduce the risk of spilling from the mouth. When liquids are thickened with products, such as the Thick-It AquaCare H2O Thickened Liquids, patients have more time to properly swallow.

How Do Instant Food Thickeners Work?

They are formulated with thickening agents, such as food starch, cornstarch or a gum, such as Xanthan gum. This formula is designed to bind and thicken loose and runny foods.

Different Types of Thickening Agents

  • Cornstarch (Most Common)
  • Pre-Gelatinized Starches
  • Arrowroot
  • Agar-Agar
  • Algin (Sodium alginate)
  • Carrageenan or Irish Moss
  • Gelatinized Gum Arabic or Acacia
  • Gum Tragacanth
  • Pectin

Additional Information

Department of Dietetics and Nutrition, and Long Term Care Institute, National Policy and Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging, Florida International University, Miami, 33199, USA. [email protected] Use of Thickened Liquids in Skilled Nursing Facilities Butler E., Gluch L., Burke B.

Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Volume 115, Issue 1, January 2015, Pages 106-111 Rheological Characteristics of Cold Thickened Beverages Containing Xanthan Gum-Based Food Thickeners Used for Dysphagia Diets Hyun M.ChoMSByoungseungYooPhD

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