“Special medical food” is a formulated food that is processed to meet the special nutritional needs of people with restricted access to food, digestive and absorption disorders, metabolic disorders or specific disease states. Although it is a food, it is not a normal food that normal people eat, and it is not a drug.
“Special medical foods” can be divided into 3 categories:
- Complete nutritional formulas, which can be used as a single source of nutrition, including whole protein and short peptide complete nutritional formulas;
- Disease-specific whole nutritional formula, which can meet the nutritional needs under specific diseases, including tumor-type, diabetes-type, liver disease-type, kidney disease-type whole nutritional formula;
- Non-whole nutritional formula, which can meet part of the nutritional needs but cannot be used as a single source of nutrition, including whey protein powder, dietary fiber powder, probiotic powder, fish oil, etc.
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There are certain groups of people for whom “special medical food” is indicated, and its classification and variety are complex. If you choose to use an unsuitable preparation on your own, it will not only fail to provide you with nutrition, but may also bring about certain adverse effects. Therefore, it is recommended that you use it under the guidance of a physician or nutritionist. Currently, such foods can be purchased at self-pay pharmacies, nutrition canteens, nutrition supermarkets in major hospitals, or online food and drug stores.