ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIMS: In a prospective study, we evaluated fructose absorption capacity in 17 healthy female volunteers aged 16-27 years. METHODS: All volunteers underwent analysis of their daily food intake diary and standardized breath tests. The volunteers were challenged consecutively with oral intake of 50, 25 and 15 g of fructose. RESULTS: The average daily ingestion of fructose (19.54 ± 14.95 g) was not different between volunteers with positive and negative breath tests. On day 1, 53% of subjects exhibited a significant (≥20 ppm) increase in breath hydrogen and gastrointestinal symptoms upon challenge with 50 g of fructose. Moreover, 37.5% of the volunteers with a negative breath test became positive upon a second challenge with 50 g of fructose but remained asymptomatic. On day 2, 1 of the 9 volunteers (12.5%) with a positive breath test on day 1 exhibited an asymptomatic positive breath test upon exposure to 25 and 15 g of fructose on day 3. The 8 volunteers with a negative test (25 g of fructose) remained negative after a second exposure to 25 g of fructose. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that hydrogen breath tests with fructose challenge of 50 g of fructose are inappropriate to characterize clinically significant fructose malabsorption.
Subject(s)
Fructose/pharmacokinetics , Intestinal Absorption , Malabsorption Syndromes/diagnosis , Malabsorption Syndromes/metabolism , Abdominal Pain/etiology , Adolescent , Adult , Breath Tests , Diarrhea/etiology , Diet Records , Female , Flatulence/etiology , Fructose/administration & dosage , Humans , Hydrogen/analysis , Malabsorption Syndromes/complications , Prospective Studies , Young AdultABSTRACT
Cancer cachexia is a syndrome with weight loss, anorexia, and loss of host body cell mass. Tumor cachexia may be an early symptom of a neoplasm. Low food intake is the main reason for weight loss. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation remain primary therapeutic modalities to overcome cancer cachexia. Artificial nutrition is able to avoid progressive weight loss; nutrition alone may not preserve fat-free body cell mass. Parenteral nutrition reduces perioperative morbidity and mortality. Nutritional support failed to show a benefit in patients with malignancies which are treated with therapeutic radiation or chemotherapy. For patients with unresectable neoplasms of the upper GI-tract conventional palliative regimens (bougienage, laser, etc.) do not support a satisfactory nutritional state. Ambulatory enteral tube feeding via percutaneous endoscopic gastrotomy (PEG) as an adjunct to therapy is useful and safe in providing adequate fluid and substrates.
