1980 Volume 21 Issue 10 Pages 1330-1339
Actually ingested amounts of various dietary nutrients, especially amino acids, in 10 hospitalized and well compensated cirrhotic patients and their nutritional assessments and pathophysiologies of the liver were studied fbr investigating the possible dietetic therapy of cirrhotics. The liver diet specially for cirrhotics was fbund to be rich in protein but remarkably low in non-N energy/g N as compared to the ordinary diet for hospitalized patients without digestive diseases as control. Ingested amounts of energy and vegetable fat were significantly low in cirrhotic patients and molar ratios of branched chain amino acids (BCAA) to aromatic amino acids (AAA) showed lower values than those in the ordinary diet. Daily intakes of energy and protein in cirrhotic patients were correlated well with their nitrogen balances. BCAA/AAA in proteins, which cirrhotic patiehts take orally, showed the closest correlation to the severity of the disease as indicated by abnormal serum total protein and albumin concentrations and KICG values.BCAA and phenylalanine amounts and BCAA/(phenylalanine+tyrosine)in the ingested diet in cirrhotics also reflect those in the blood serum, respectively. Remarkably lower ratios of BCAA/ (phenylalanine+tyrosine)in serum were found in those patients, and significant correlation between this ratio and KICG values observed. The above results suggest that prescription of proteins containing high BCAA/AAA to cirrhotic patients may normalize abnormal serum BCAA/AAA and probably improve the impaired functions of the liver.
