[A nutritionally defined liquid diet for hemodialyzed patients]

For patients having regular haemodialysis there are no suitable complete preparations for general use in case intensive treatment is needed. Nutrilac renal is a new preparation of a nutritionally defined liquid diet corresponding as to its composition to the needs of haemodialyzed patients. The purpose of the present work was to assess whether this preparation when administered as a supplement will have a favourable effect on the nutritional parameters of haemodialyzed patients.

Nutrilac renal was administered to haemodialyzed patients for a period of three weeks as a supplement meeting 20% of the energy requirements. The protein intake rose from 0.87 to 0.95 g/kg body weight (p < 0.05), the energy intake from 109 to 126 kJ/kg body weight (p < 0.05). As to nutritional parameters, the serum albumin values improved (from 25.0 to 29.4 g/l, p < 0.05) and Whitehead's quotient from 1.8 to 1.5, p < 0.05). The favourable effect on the amino acid spectrum was manifested by a significant rise of essential amino acids and those with branched side chains (p < 0.01). The preparation did not lead to a rise of potassium, ura and vitamin A levels.

The newly developed preparation Nutrilac renal exerts a favourable effect on nutritional parameters. Changes in the aminogram characterized by an increase of essential amino acids, in particular threonine, valine, leucine and isoleucine indicate the high biological value of the protein component of the preparation for patients with chronic renal failure.