The incidence of malnutrition in hospitalized patients is often underestimated because of the difficulties involved in recording accurately the patients nutritional status. A survey of 500 patients admitted to the hospital showed that 40% of the patients were undernourished (McWriter and Pennengton). Undernutrition was found in all medical and surgical specialties investigated. In Denmark Kondrup et al. screed 750 patients at admission to hospital and surveyed then during their entire hospitalization. The investigators found that 22% of the patients were nutritionally at risk and that only 25% of these patients receiving an adequate amount of energy and proteins. Malnutrition in the hospital is associated with poor outcome. The effects of malnutrition are multisystemic with consequences such as poor wound healing, impaired immunity and respiratory function (Lawson (2002)).