Nutritional Assessment Using Stable Isotope Ratios of Nitrogen and Carbon in Scalp Hair of Patients Who Received Enteral Nutrients

Abstract

Stable isotope ratios of nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) and carbon (δ¹³C) in scalp hair of elderly patients who received enteral nutrition for long periods were analyzed to assess nutritional status: the δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C in the hair of patients who received enteral nutrition were compared with those of healthy persons, respectively. The average values of the δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C in the hair of patients who received enteral nutrition (n = 19) were higher and lower than those of healthy persons (n = 17), respectively. A negative correlation was observed between the δ¹⁵N in the hair of patients and the dose of energy (r = -0.490, P < 0.05), whereas positive correlation was found between the δ¹³C and the dose of energy (r = 0.563, P < 0.05). The δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C in scalp hair may be good indicators for assessing the nutritional status of the elderly patients who received enteral nutrition for long period.