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III. Anticatabolic and Anabolic Strategy, (Nutrition)

The maintenance of optimum nutrition through both the stress response or catabolic phase and the recovery or anabolic phase is the most important strategy to decrease lean mass loss and to regain lost lean mass.

The remaining strategies are additions to adequate macro and micronutrient intake.

Requirements

  • maintain adequate energy 30-35 cal/kg/day
  • maintain adequate protein 1.5 to 2 g/kg/day
  • maintain adequate micronutrients

What is the Optimum Macronutrient Mix To Meet the Needs?


MEETING REQUIREMENTS: THE ROLE OF PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS APPETITE

STIMULANTS AND INCREASED MICRONUTRIENTS

  1. Role of protein supplements 
  2. Appetite stimulants
  3. Anticatabolic micronutrients


1.  Protein Supplements

Numerous studies demonstrate the need for increased protein intake during both the catabolic and recovery phase after burn injury. The increased protein demands, especially if restoration of depleted body lean mass is required, exceed that which a severe burn injury patient can achieve with intake of food alone. This concept is particularly well documented in the management of the burn wound when the addition of protein supplements to maintain intake at 1.5-2.0 g/kg/day significantly increased healing rate.

As described, the protein intake correlates best with healing rate. Nutrient supplements should be selected based on the following criteria.


NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT SELECTION CRITERIA

  • Need for high protein content
  • Quality of the contained nutrients
  • Route of administration, i.e. taken orally or per feeding tube
  • Palatability (which equates with compliance)
  • Complications

Most high protein supplements are non palatable and not for oral consumption, e.g. Criticare-HN, Jevity, etc. and are really used only for tube feeding. There are now available more palatable formulations which have a high protein content in a palatable form. In addition, all proteins are not equal. Some proteins and their peptide content have a higher biologic value, i.e. increased nitrogen retention, based on their structure and composition. In addition, specific peptides can act like growth factors or added anabolic stimuli. In a recent randomized trial in burn patients we noted the protein composition of a case in hydrolysate (Met-Rx) doubled lean mass gain when compared to standard whey hydrolysates, reflecting an added anabolic stimulus present in the casein hydrolysate.

It has been demonstrated that bioactive peptides in a hydrolysate of protein have anabolic activity, wound healing and immunologic effects in excess of that seen with whole protein or amino acid intake alone. Bioactive peptides are absorbed intact by the gastrointestinal tract. A number of peptides have been identified which have anabolic and neuroendocrine activity. However, the majority of the active growth factor-like peptides in protein hydrolysates have not been identified.

2.  Appetite Stimulating Drugs (Non-anabolic agents)

A critical component in the process of maintaining and restoring lost lean mass is to optimize nutrient intake. Suppression of appetite is a common characteristic of the stress response during the catabolic phase of injury as well as during recovery. Adequate energy and protein intake is essential for any anabolism to occur, especially with the use of anabolic agents.

The most widely used non-anabolic agents are megestral acetate, a synthetic progestational steroid and dronabinol (delta -9 tetra hydro-cannabinol)

Megestral Acetate

  • effective appetite stimulant
  • > 85% of weight gain is fat due to progestational steroid effect
  • can produce hypogonadism
  • decreases lean mass gain
  • not beneficial for lean mass gain

Dronabinol

  • modest appetite stimulant
  • has significant CNS effects
  • weight gain mostly fat

To date appetite stimulants which are not anabolic agents, have not been shown to be beneficial on the burn or trauma patient to maintain lean mass.


Micronutrient Support

Delivery of increased quantities essential micronutrients is required for the success of any anticatabolic or anabolic strategy as micronutrient depletion occurs after burns and trauma.

Micronutrient Support of the Hypermetabolic State
VITAMIN B COMPLEX

Energy Production

DAILY DOSE
Thiamine Oxidation, reduction reactions 10–100 mg
Riboflavin Oxidative phosphorylation for ATP production 10 mg
Niacin Electron transfer reactions for energy production 150 mg
Vitamin B6 Transamination for glucose production and breakdown 10–15 mg
Folate One carbon transfer reaction required for all macronutrient metabolism 0.4–1 mg
Vitamin B12 Coenzyme A reactions for all nutrient use 50 mcg
     

 

VITAMIN C

Energy Production

Daily Dose

MINERALS Carnitine production for fatty acid metabolism 500 mg–2 g
Selenium Cofactor for fat metabolism 100–150 mcg
Copper Cofactor for cytochrome oxidase for energy production 1–2 mg
Zinc Cofactor for DNA, RNA, and polymerase for protein synthesis 4–10 mcg
     

 

AMINO ACIDS Energy Production Daily Dose
Glutamine Nitrogen shuttle for glucose amino acid breakdown, urea production, direct source of cell energy 10–20 g

 


Anticatabolic and Anabolic Micronutrient Support

AMINO ACIDS

Glutamine
Decreases net nitrogen loss
Increases net muscle protein synthesis
Nitrogen carrier
Stimulates HGH release
Arginine
Decreases net nitrogen loss
ANTIOXIDANTS
 

Vitamin A, C,
E, B; Carotene,
Zn, Cu, Se

Decreases net oxidant-induced protein degradation
PROTEIN SYNTHESIS COFACTORS
Zn, Cu, Mg,
Vitamin B
Complex
Improve protein synthesis pathways
DAILY DOSE * See Previous Table

 

Micronutrient Support for Wound Healing

AMINO ACIDS

 
Glutamine
Primary fuel for fibroblasts
Preservation of lean mass
Anticatabolic, anabolic properties
Stimulates release of HGH
Arginine
Obligatory precursor for wound protein synthesis
Increases local wound immune system
Cysteine
Key amino acid for new tissue growth
Provider of sulfhydryl bonds
VITAMINS
 
Vitamin A
Stimulant for onset of wound-healing process
Stimulant of epithelialization and fibroblast
deposition of collagen
Vitamin C
Necessary for collagen synthesis
MINERALS
 
Zinc
Cofactor for collagen and other wound protein synthesis
Copper
Cofactor for connective tissue production
Collagen cross-linking
Manganese Collagen and ground substance synthesis
 

 

 

 


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