A new website for the Medical Nutrition Therapy for Prevention (MNT4P) program, led by Emory University’s Department of Human Genetics, is giving Georgia families ready access to information about medical foods and other resources and support for individuals affected by inherited metabolic disorders. These disorders occur when a specific enzyme defect interferes with the normal metabolism of protein, fat, or carbohydrate, requiring lifelong nutrition interventions in the form of medical foods (specially compounded formulas) to prevent death, intellectual disability, and other adverse health outcomes.
Medical foods, along with low-protein modified foods and some dietary supplements, are the primary nutrition treatment for inherited metabolic disorders such as phenylketonuria (PKU). In 2016, Emory Genetics Metabolic Nutrition Program launched the MNT4P program, funded by Georgia Department of Public Health, to make medical foods accessible to individuals who are unable to obtain these foods and dietary supplements due to insurance and/or financial obstacles or other unidentified barriers.
The new Medical Nutrition Therapy for Prevention (MNT4P) website can be found at http://mnt4p.org.
The MNT4P program provides precise and personalized support to patients living with metabolic disorders, as well as their families. MNT4P offers nutrition support that helps bridge the gap for coverage of medical foods, low-protein modified foods, and treatment-related supplies, as well as assists patients with insurance navigation and provides comprehensive medical nutrition therapy. MNT4P also serves as a collaborative community for those living with genetic metabolic disorders, providing a space for mutual support, advocacy, and the monitoring and understanding of long-term outcomes.
“The new MNT4P medical foods program is an incredible asset to the families in our state who are affected by inherited metabolic disorders,” says Rani H. Singh, PhD, RD, LD, who leads the program. “By launching our new website, we can allow families to more easily access information, apply for the medical foods program, engage more directly with our team, receive education about inherited metabolic disorders, and locate available resources.”
The Emory Genetics Metabolic Nutrition Program is the only one of its kind initiative in the state of Georgia, which its faculty and staff hope will serve as a national model. The program includes a collaborative team of health professionals who provide medical nutrition management to nearly 500 individuals of all ages with inherited metabolic disorders identified primarily through the Newborn Screening Program of Georgia.