Clinical Nutrition

Why choose UCLA Health for clinical nutrition?

The UCLA Center for Human Nutrition is at the forefront of clinical practice and nutrition research. Our aim is to help patients and the community understand how nutrition affects overall health and wellness.

We offer a variety of programs at our clinical nutrition center to help you become your healthiest self. Our team addresses the unique barriers and challenges that keep you from achieving your weight loss or health goals. When you choose UCLA Health, you benefit from:

Individualized care: Our medical nutritionist and other specialists approach patients as individuals. We use a comprehensive approach that assesses every genetic, metabolic, social, or behavioral factor that affects your weight loss success and ability to achieve your health goals.

Collaborative approach to bariatric surgery: When you choose bariatric (weight loss) surgery, nutrition experts are part of the team. We help you meet your nutritional needs and goals pre- and post-surgery so that you experience long-term weight loss benefits.

Increased access to resources: We offer online classes from expert UCLA physicians and dietitians. You receive life-changing advice and learn in a group setting about how nutrition, exercise and stress affect your health goals.

Treatment from leading-edge experts: Our team participates in research and clinical trials so that we can offer you the newest available care options for weight loss management. We continue to learn more about how your genetic makeup affects your weight and nutritional needs.

Our services 

We offer one-on-one consultations for patients with a variety of nutritional concerns, as well as group weight loss programs and clinics.

Our major areas of care include:

Clinical Nutrition Clinic: Through the Clinical Nutrition Clinic, dietitians offer one-on-one nutrition counseling. We see patients with a variety of concerns, including gastrointestinal conditions, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and more.

Medical Weight Management Program: Formerly known as the RFO (Risk Factor Obesity) Program, we’ve been helping people for more than 45 years. Our experts have provided personalized medical weight loss services for people who are obese or overweight. We use a personalized approach that evaluates all the genetic, environmental, and behavioral factors that affect your weight.

Healthier Weight Management Webinar Series: This eight-week group class teaches you long term weight loss management strategies. Specialized physicians and dietitians teach you about all the factors that can affect your weight, including nutrition, exercise, and stress.

Center for Obesity and Metabolic Health (COMET) Program: The clinical nutrition team works closely with bariatric surgeons to support patients who choose weight loss surgery and interventional endoscopists who perform new endoscopic procedures. Expert dietitians help you optimize your nutrition before and after surgery, as well as guide you toward making choices that help you keep the weight off.

Endoscopic Treatment for Obesity: Endoscopic bariatric procedures may be suitable for patients who do not qualify for traditional bariatric surgery. This includes the large number of people with mild or moderate or obesity who nevertheless experience health problems linked to excess weight. This may also include patients who have regained weight after a prior bariatric surgery.

Conditions we treat

The specialists at our clinical nutrition center understand how certain health conditions affect your nutritional needs. Common conditions we treat include:

Cardiovascular disease: A group of conditions that affect your heart, blood vessels and arteries.

Celiac disease: An autoimmune disease that causes severe reactions to gluten.

Crohn’s disease: A type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes chronic inflammation in your digestive tract.

Hypertension (high blood pressure): When the force of your blood against your artery walls is consistently higher than average.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): An intestinal disorder that causes stomach pain, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea.

Obesity: An excessive amount of body fat that increases your risk for other health conditions.

Ulcerative colitis: A chronic condition that causes sores and inflammation in your colon’s lining.

Treatments we offer

Our specialists provide a variety of nutrition programs and treatments to support you in your nutrition and weight loss journey. Treatments we offer include:

Intensive group programs: Physicians and dietitians guide you to make lifestyle modifications and adopt weight loss plans. Each week, experts review a different weight loss-related topic in a group setting. 

One-on-one nutritional counseling: Our nutrition specialists offer individualized care for a variety of conditions. We provide care for those with gastrointestinal conditions, cancer, kidney stones, AIDS-related malnutrition and more.

Medical weight loss and management: A team of physicians, dietitians, nurses, and psychologists provide medically monitored treatments to help you achieve and sustain weight loss.

Nonsurgical and surgical weight loss treatment: We collaborate closely with the bariatric surgery team on nonsurgical treatments for obesity. If you opt for weight loss surgery, we work with you before and after to optimize your nutrition. 

Meet our team

Our team includes physicians, dietitians, nurses, and psychologists who specialize in nutrition. We participate in the latest research and offer you personalized, evidence-based care to increase your health and wellness.

Contact us

Call 310-825-7921 to request an appointment with a clinical nutrition specialist at UCLA Health. To reach the Medical Weight Management Program, please call 310-825-8173.