Metabolism and Nutrition in Sepsis: In Need of a Paradigm Shift

Sepsis continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality despite technological advancements in medical management. While sepsis is defined as organ dysfunction owing to the dysregulated host response to infection, our understanding of the dysregulation of the host response remains incomplete.

Many metabolic derangements that occur during sepsis, including those associated with anorexia, hyperglycemia, and proteolysis, have largely been considered maladaptive. Supportive medical and nutritional interventions targeted at correcting these metabolic derangements have not led to improved outcomes, suggesting a reappraisal of our approach to metabolism and nutrition in critically ill septic patients is needed.

Explanations of the lack of efficacy of these clinical interventions may include targeting the wrong metric or patient population, or the possibility that some of these metabolic changes could be protective. In this mini-review, we propose a paradigm shift that is needed in metabolism and nutrition management in sepsis.