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Late Evening Snack, Branched Chain Amino Acids, and Cirrhosis

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Branched Chain Amino Acids in Clinical Nutrition

Part of the book series: Nutrition and Health ((NH))

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Abstract

Patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) have decreased gluconeogenic capacity, which leads to decreased availability of sugar and increased availability of fat especially during the fasting period from after the evening meal until morning. Furthermore, due to gluconeogenesis requirements for amino acids being met by the breakdown of muscle protein, skeletal muscle is decreased and the nitrogen balance becomes negative. Thus, patients with LC present with protein energy malnutrition (PEM).Branched chain amino acid (BCAA) therapy for LC is effective for ameliorating this condition by correcting PEM and improving both quality of life (QOL) and prognosis. A late evening snack (LES) using Aminoleban EN for LC has beneficial effects on hepatic parenchymal cells in addition to nutritional effects. A LES using BCAA is both safe and useful, as nutritional and dietary therapy, comprising one part of the four-meal-a-day dietary intervention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. 3rd Department of Internal Medicine, Kansai Medical University, 10-15 Fumizono-cho, Moriguchi, Osaka, Japan

    Chizu Koreeda Ph.D.

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  1. Chizu Koreeda Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Chizu Koreeda Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Intensive Care, Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom

    Rajkumar Rajendram

  2. Diabetes and Nutritional Sciences, Kings College London, London, United Kingdom

    Victor R. Preedy

  3. Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Westminster, London, United Kingdom

    Vinood B. Patel

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Koreeda, C. (2015). Late Evening Snack, Branched Chain Amino Acids, and Cirrhosis. In: Rajendram, R., Preedy, V., Patel, V. (eds) Branched Chain Amino Acids in Clinical Nutrition. Nutrition and Health. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1914-7_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1914-7_13

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-1913-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-1914-7

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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