Faulty nutrition

Secondary metabolic disorders and storage diseases are present in almost all liver diseases and occur with more or less pronounced intensity. They are, however, also caused by faulty nutrition as well as by many exogenous factors or noxae - just as latent metabolic disorders may generally become manifest due to such factors. 

Animal experiments have shown that faulty nutrition, i.e. > 90% fat, < 10% protein and < 2 mg choline per day, leads to pronounced fatty fiver and even fatty cirrhosis within a few weeks. The same changes could be observed when the protein intake remained more or less normal, while extremely little methionine and choline was offered. With a partial surplus of certain foodstuffs, the special nature of the excessive nutritional components is also of considerable importance. The term partial malnutrition may, for example, be associated with a pronounced protein deficiency (and thus possibly inadequate production of lipoproteins) or a lack of lipotropic substances (such as methionine, choline, cystine, glycocoUbetaine, pyridoxine, casein and various N- or S-methylated substances). Protein deficiency has particularly severe consequences when toxic substances are absorbed at the same time or when the organism has to fight bacterial or parasitic infections. A diseased liver reacts to both a serious deficiency in and an excessive supply of different nutrients (e.g. proteins, certain kinds of amino acids, various lipids, trace elements) with unfavourable or even complicative developments during the course of disease. 

Commonly administered LVPs include such products as Lactated Ringers Injection USP, Sodium Chloride Injection USP (0.9%), which replenish fluids and electrolytes, and Dextrose Injection USP (5%), which provides fluid plus nutrition (calories), or various combinations of dextrose and saline. In addition, numerous other nutrient and ionic solutions are available for clinical use, the most popular of which are solutions of essential amino acids or lipid emulsions. These solutions are modified to be hypertonic, isotonic, or hypotonic to aid in maintaining both fluid, nutritional, and electrolyte balance in a particular patient according to need. Indwelling needles or catheters are required in LVP administration. Care must be taken to avoid local or systemic infections or thrombophlebitis owing to faulty injection or administration technique. 

Essentially, a food additive brings some benefit to the consumer and is not used to disguise faulty food processing or handling techniques. A food additive does not substantially reduce the nutritive value of the food and does not pose any health hazard to the consumer. Thus, food additives should be used for the preservation of food, to maintain its nutritive quality and storage quality, and for organoleptic acceptance by the consumer. 

Inadequate nutrition of the embryo or fetus may have many causes such as faulty implantation of the ovum, disease of the placenta, interruption of the umbilical blood flow, transmission of toxic substances through the placenta and maternal dietary deficiencies. Only the last cause is to be considered in the following pages. 

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