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Energy Metabolism in Liver Cirrhosis: Its Characteristics, Clinical Significance, and Possible Intervention

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Liver Cirrhosis

Summary

A large proportion of patients with liver cirrhosis have protein and energy malnutrition. Our recent research revealed that approximately 30% of the patients had protein-energy malnutrition, 40% protein malnutrition, and 10% energy malnutrition, while 20% were in a normal nutritional state. Since both protein and energy malnutrition determine survival of patients with cirrhosis, careful nutritional support for such patients is required. Supplementation with branched-chain amino acids improves chronic liver failure and protein nutritional state and, subsequently, prolongs survival. In contrast, therapeutic modalities for energy malnutrition have not been fully elucidated yet and await further studies. In this article, we focus on energy metabolism in cirrhotic patients and show its basal characteristics and impact on outcome. In addition, we describe our clinical experience with intervention for energy malnutrition, in particular late evening energy supplementation, in patients with cirrhosis and review recent literature on this subject.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. First Department of Internal Medicine, Gifu University School of Medicine, 40 Tsukasa-machi, Gifu, 500-8705, Japan

    Hisataka Moriwaki, Masahiro Tajika, Yoshiyuki Miwa & Masahiko Kato

Authors
  1. Hisataka Moriwaki
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  2. Masahiro Tajika
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  3. Yoshiyuki Miwa
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  4. Masahiko Kato
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. First Department of Internal Medicine, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Minamikogushi, 755-8505, Ube, Yamaguchi, Japan

    Kiwamu Okita M.D., Ph.D. (Professor and Chairman) (Professor and Chairman)

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© 2001 Springer-Verlag Tokyo

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Moriwaki, H., Tajika, M., Miwa, Y., Kato, M. (2001). Energy Metabolism in Liver Cirrhosis: Its Characteristics, Clinical Significance, and Possible Intervention. In: Okita, K. (eds) Liver Cirrhosis. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-68343-8_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-68343-8_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Tokyo

  • Print ISBN: 978-4-431-68345-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-4-431-68343-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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