Wounds & Nutrition

Wound types and the way that they are cared for varies. But what remains constant is the balanced diet that is essential to helping wounds heal properly. When the nutritional supplies that are necessary for wound healing run low, healing time lengthens, increasing the possibility that a wound can become infected. There are three major components to good nutrition: fats, carbohydrates and proteins. Vitamins and minerals are also important, as is a steady, daily intake of water.

Fatty Acids

• Scientists know that fatty acids are essential to the healing process but their role is not clearly understood. Researchers at Ohio State University theorize that fatty acids such as omega-3 incite the inflammatory process around the wound site. It is assumed that this inflammatory process increases the production of "cytokine," an immune cell stimulator. The immune system then sends white blood cells known as macrophages to the infected locations to promote healing.

Glucose

• When the body goes through the healing process, there is an increased need for carbohydrates. The glucose in carbohydrates is a driving force in the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is a high energy molecule that aids in healing. In the book "Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry," author Albert L. Lehninger explains that healthy cells need a steady diet of ATP in order to survive. During the healing process, ATP is converted into adenosine diphospate (ADP), another form of energy that fosters new cells.

Protein

• Proteins play an active role in the inflammatory process and are required for the production of granulation tissue within the body. Author Carrie Sussman describes the growth of granulation tissue as a positive sign that the body is undergoing the healing process. In her book "Wound Care: A Collaborative Practice Manual," she explains that granulation tissue is actually the formation of tiny, connected blood vessels that fill a wound. When protein intake is scarce, the body is unable to adequately create granulation tissue, and wound healing is delayed.

Minerals

• Protein would not be able to do its job properly if it were not for the presence of zinc. Zinc is a mineral that is necessary for the synthesis of protein and it also plays a role in the body's immune response during the healing process. According to the American Society for Nutritional Sciences, researchers believe that zinc might also have important anti-bacterial characteristics that can inhibit the growth of bacteria around a wound site. Copper and iron are also important nutritional factors when it comes to wound care. Both aid the body in its production of collagen, which speeds wound recovery.

Vitamins

• Georgia State University, Department of Physics, reports that without vitamin C, there is no collagen. Not only is vitamin C vital to the collagen that speeds healing, it is also is a protector of vitamin A and E inside the body. Vitamin K helps the body form a coagulation protein known as "thrombin." Thrombin is important to healing because it aids in the clotting process, or collection of platelets, that dries and forms a scab. Finally, vitamin B helps with the release of carbohydrate energy and the creation of ATP.

Water

• In her book "Quick Reference to Wound Care," author Pamela A. Brown extols the importance of water in the healing process. Wounded patients need at minimum of two quarts of water daily. The better hydrated a person is, the easier it is for the body to heal wounds and reduce the risk of infection.