title: Inadequate nutritional intake for daily life activity of clinically stable patients with chronic heart failure.
abstract: We investigated the nutritional adequacy and energy availability in 57 normal-weight patients with chronic heart failure (HF) and 49 matched healthy sedentary subjects. We found that the chronic HF patients had a higher total energy expenditure (1,700 +/- 53 vs 1,950 +/- 43 kcal/day; p <0.01), a negative calorie balance (104 +/- 35 vs -186 +/- 40 kcal/day; p <0.01), a negative nitrogen balance (2.2 +/- 0.5 vs -1.7 +/- 0.4 g/day; p <0.01), and a hypercatabolic hormonal status (cortisol/insulin ratio 32 +/- 1.7 vs 65 +/- 5.1; p <0.01). We conclude that patients with chronic HF had an inadequate calorie intake to support energetic needs for daily activities, with consequent important protein breakdown that causes muscular wasting.
authors.affiliation: Service of Metabolic and Nutritional Pathophysiology, Salvatore Maugeri Foundation, IRCCS, Medical Center of Montescano, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Evasio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pasini
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Opasich
authors.forename: Ornella
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pastoris
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aquilani
mesh_terms: D002100:Cachexia / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000517:prevention & control; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015930:Diet Records; D004435:Eating; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D006333:Heart Failure; D006801:Humans; D009751:Nutritional Requirements