• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.855-864
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• 1996

The purpose of this study is to evaluate nutritional status of tube feeding patients, and to investigate the effects of giving enteral nutritional support to them. 83 in-patients have been examined for their nutritional status. The mean caloric density was 0.77kca1/m1. 36.1% to 75.9% of them were malnourished in terms of biochemical assessment. The energy intake showed the significant and positive correlation in all biochemical parameters. And the protein intake showed the significant and positive correlation in total protein, serum albumin, serum iron, hemoglobin, hematocrit and TLC. But age was correlated negatively to serum albumin and transferrin. The amount of energy and protein intake has been significantly increased as the tube feeding duration became longer. Also the effect of enteral nutritional support for 6 weeks has been investigated. Case group(n=8) was administered 250kca1 of polymeric formula in addition to their usual diet, while control group(n=8) kept the amount of their original intake. When comparing the biochemical changes of the case group and those of control group at week 0 and week 6 respectively, it showed significant differences in total protein, serum transferrin and TLC. This study suggests that the malnourished status of tube feeding patients can be improved and even prevented if nutritional support is properly administered.