[Fat-rich diets in patients with mild chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD)]

A study was made in stable patients suffering from mild COLD of the maximum capacity for ergometric cycle exercise and gas exchange at rest and during maximum exercise, measured by indirect calorimetry. During the period of study (3 months) one group of patients receive the usual diet while the other received an oral nutritional supplement rich in fats an minimum of 75% of their energy expenditure measured at rest. The patients studied, with mild COLD, were hypermetabolic, and although at rest they presented indirect calorimetry data such as would correspond to similar subjects, during exercise not just the limit on exercise became clear but also the alteration to ventilatory capacity and gas exchange. The fat-rich nutritional supplement administered for three months did not succeed in enhancing exercise capacity or in altering gas exchange during maximum exercise is stable patients with mild COLD.