In partnership with Emil Banca and EMI Ets, LIONHEALTH Società Benefit a day dedicated to providing information and nutritional screening for patients with chronic diseases in Emilia-Romagna.
As a Benefit Corporation, our commitment goes beyond developing Food for special medical purposes ; it also means helping to establish care pathways for malnourished patients, from early diagnosis through treatment. We are proud to be doing this in partnership with Emil Banca and EMI Ets, which has chosen to invest in this project dedicated to the Emilia-Romagna region.
The project
Nutritional care is a fundamental right of patients, as established by the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN). Yet, disease-related malnutrition (DRM) remains one of the most underestimated clinical challenges in the context of severe chronic diseases.
In Italy, chronic diseases affect approximately 40% of the population, with rates of malnutrition varying depending on the specific condition. In IBD (including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis), physiological changes and chronic inflammation predispose patients to develop malnutrition in 21–27% of cases, with an estimated 50,000–60,000 malnourished patients in Italy, leading to weight loss, reduced muscle mass, and deficiencies in essential nutrients, with a significant impact on quality of life, treatment response, and costs to the National Health Service. Timely management of DRM is therefore an essential component of the treatment pathway.
Promoting nutritional screening means enabling patients to identify the risk of malnutrition early on and prevent its consequences.
Objective
The Nutritional Screening Days aim to promote a culture of nutrition as a preventive strategy and as an integral part of treatment for chronic conditions.
Practical Information
📅 Date: June 9, 2026
🕑 Hours: 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM
📍 Location: Bologna, Emil Banca – Via Trattati Comunitari Europei 19, Marconi Room
A project by: Emil Banca and EMI Ets
Screening produced for: EMI ets
With the unrestricted support of: LIONHEALTH Società Benefit
Background and References
What is disease-related malnutrition (DRM)? Disease-related malnutrition is a condition in which a disease alters the intake, absorption, or metabolism of nutrients, thereby compromising the patient’s nutritional status. In severe chronic diseases, such as IBD, it is a common and often underdiagnosed complication that negatively impacts treatment response and quality of life.
Why is nutritional screening important? Early nutritional screening allows for the identification of at-risk patients before malnutrition becomes overt. ESPEN guidelines recommend systematic screening as the standard of care in all clinical settings, emphasizing that timely nutritional intervention reduces complications, hospital stays, and costs to the National Health Service.
What is LIONHEALTH’s role in this initiative? LIONHEALTH Società Benefit the event with Emil Banca as part of its commitment, as a Benefit Corporation, to developing concrete pathways for nutritional care for patients with chronic diseases, from early diagnosis through treatment.
