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Sarcopenia in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease: Can It Be Altered by Diet and Exercise?

  • Nutrition and Obesity (S McClave and J Obert, Section Editors)
  • Published:
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An Erratum to this article was published on 19 September 2016

Abstract

Sarcopenia, a loss of muscle mass, is being increasingly recognized to have a deleterious effect on outcomes in patients with chronic liver disease. Factors related to diet and the inflammatory nature of chronic liver disease contribute to the occurrence of sarcopenia in these patients. Sarcopenia adversely influences quality of life, performance, morbidity, success of transplantation, and even mortality. Specific deficiencies in macronutrients (protein, polyunsaturated fatty acids) and micronutrients (vitamins C, D, and E, carotenoids, and selenium) have been linked to sarcopenia. Lessons learned from nutritional therapy in geriatric patient populations may provide strategies to manage sarcopenia in patients with liver disease. Combining diet modification and nutrient supplementation with an organized program of exercise may help ameliorate or even reverse the effects of sarcopenia on an already complex disease process.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, DUMS 03142, Orange Zone, Durham, NC, 27710, USA

    Matthew R. Kappus

  2. Department of Medicine, Ochsner Clinic, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Mardeli Saire Mendoza

  3. Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of California—Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA

    Douglas Nguyen

  4. Department of Medicine, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA

    Valentina Medici

  5. Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA

    Stephen A. McClave

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  1. Matthew R. Kappus
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  2. Mardeli Saire Mendoza
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  3. Douglas Nguyen
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  4. Valentina Medici
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  5. Stephen A. McClave
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Correspondence to Matthew R. Kappus.

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This article is part of the topical collection on Nutrition and Obesity

An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11894-016-0533-x.

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Kappus, M.R., Mendoza, M.S., Nguyen, D. et al. Sarcopenia in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease: Can It Be Altered by Diet and Exercise?. Curr Gastroenterol Rep 18, 43 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11894-016-0516-y

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