Nutritional assessment reflects muscle energy metabolism in gastric carcinoma

Preoperative nutritional status and muscle energy metabolism were studied in 26 patients with gastric carcinoma. Fat stores were reduced in 30% and visceral proteins in 25% to 90% of the patients. According to the nutritional assessment, the patients were divided into well-nourished (group I, n = 8) with no or minor signs of malnutrition and malnourished (group II, n = 13) with signs of pronounced malnutrition. Group I had normal content of muscle energy metabolites despite their malignant disease. In group II, adenine nucleotides (p less than 0.001), phosphorylcreatine (p less than 0.01), creatine (p less than 0.05) and also glycogen (p less than 0.01) were markedly decreased. Weight loss, albumin, and fibronectin levels correlated significantly with adenosine-triphosphate, total adenine nucleotides, and glycogen levels. The most malnourished patients also had the poorest energy metabolite status in the muscle. These findings revive the interest in nutritional assessment.