Protein feeding

Aim

To elucidate whether critically ill patients treated in the ICU are able to utilize protein given by either parenteral or enteral nutrition.

Description

We investigate this in smaller physiological studies in which we measure the patient’s whole-body protein turnover (including protein synthesis, degradation and oxidation) using stable isotope labelled tracers. We perform measurements at baseline (often with ongoing clinical nutrition) and during extra protein given enterally or parenterally over different time periods and measuring turnover again.

Main results and publications

We have performed several studies over the last years and basically show that these patients utilize extra nutritional protein or amino acids to build new body protein and that these are not oxidized. However, these studies will not elucidate which protein are build and future studies are aiming to study the effect om muscle protein turnover. (see icu-metabolism.se for details)

Collaborators

Olav Rooyackers (KI),
Jan Wernerman (KI),
Åke Norberg (KI),
Felix Liebau (KI),
Martin Sundström (KI),
Luc van Loon (Maastricht University, The Netherlands

Funding

Region Stockholm (ALF project funding)