Begüm Biber, Dietitian

Begüm Biber is a dietitian in the Nutrition & Diet unit at Acibadem Maslak Hospital in İstanbul, Türkiye. She has more than five years of experience in nutrition and diet and works with adults, children and adolescents whose care includes a dietary component. Her practice covers medical nutrition for specific conditions as well as nutrition planning for particular life stages, such as pregnancy, and for patients with limited mobility.

Begüm Biber graduated from Acıbadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar University Faculty of Health Sciences in 2021. In the same year she joined Acıbadem Healthcare Services, where she has practiced since. She consults with patients in Turkish and in English.

Clinical focus

A substantial part of Begüm Biber’s work concerns nutrition in the setting of a medical diagnosis. She prepares dietary plans for patients with celiac disease, in whom gluten-free eating is the basis of management, and for patients with iron deficiency, where dietary sources of iron and factors affecting its absorption are reviewed. She provides cardiovascular nutrition for patients with heart and circulatory conditions and oncology nutrition, which aims to support nutritional status during and after cancer treatment. Nutrition for bed-dependent patients, who may have particular requirements because of limited mobility, is also among her areas of expertise.

Begüm Biber also works with children and adolescents on weight management and offers nutrition programmes for people with eating disorders, an area in which dietary care is usually one part of a wider treatment plan. She advises on carbohydrate counting, a method of estimating the carbohydrate content of meals so that intake can be planned, and on pregnancy nutrition, covering the changing dietary needs before and during pregnancy. In addition, she offers longevity nutrition, which focuses on dietary habits associated with health across the life course. The content of each plan depends on the individual patient’s diagnosis, laboratory findings and daily circumstances.

How Begüm Biber works with international patients

Begüm Biber consults in Turkish and English, and interpreters can be arranged for patients who speak other languages. Before a visit, the hospital’s international patient team coordinates the collection of prior reports, including laboratory and pathology results, imaging reports such as MRI, CT, X-ray or ultrasound, operative notes and discharge summaries, and arranges appointments and the practical aspects of the hospital visit. A first consultation typically covers the patient’s history and symptoms, a review of existing results and previous treatments, a clinical assessment and a discussion of the dietary options that may be suitable. Video consultation is available for international patients, which allows an initial conversation about the patient’s situation and any records that should be prepared before travelling to İstanbul.