title: Energy supplements rich in linoleic acid improve body weight and essential fatty acid status of cystic fibrosis patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients with cystic fibrosis who have steatorrhea frequently are underweight and have essential fatty acid (EFA) depletion, which is associated with a poor clinical course. It has been stated that poor EFA status is difficult to correct in patients with cystic fibrosis, and an impaired EFA metabolism with reduced synthesis of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids has been proposed. In this study, the effects of an oral energy supplement rich in linoleic acid were investigated in patients with cystic fibrosis who had a body weight below 95% of normal for height.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-six patients (16 girls) more than 4 years of age were randomized either to a control group (n = 20, age 13.3 +/- 3.8 years, mean +/- SD) receiving intensive dietary counseling only, or an intervention group (n = 16, age, 10.4 +/- 4.3 years) treated for 3 months with dietary counseling plus 628 +/- 254 mL (= kcal) per day of an energy supplement rich in fat (31% of energy) and linoleic acid (16% of energy).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In contrast to the control group, the patients with supplemented diets achieved significant increases of energy intake (2189 +/- 731 kcal/day vs. 2733 +/- 762 kcal/day), weight for height (82.8% +/- 8.6% vs. 84.8% +/- 9.6% of normal), and body fat (5.1 +/- 1.7 kg vs. 5.8 +/- 2.2 kg) as well as the initially low values of plasma phospholipid linoleic acid (11.8% +/- 1.1% vs. 17.6% +/- 1.6% of total phospholipid fatty acids) and its main metabolite arachidonic acid (4.4% +/- 0.4% vs. 5.9% +/- 0.3%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with cystic fibrosis with low body weight and poor EFA status benefit from EFA-rich energy supplements and can synthesize arachidonic acid from the precursor linoleic acid.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatics I and Paediatric Pneumonology, Medizinische Hochschule, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Steinkamp
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Demmelmair
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rühl-Bagheri
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: von der Hardt
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Koletzko
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects*; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000150:complications; D002648:Child; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000187:drug effects*; D005228:Fatty Acids, Essential / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019787:Linoleic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D005228:Fatty Acids, Essential; D019787:Linoleic Acid