Nutrient intake and serum cytokine pattern in elderly people with heart failure.
BACKGROUND
Heart failure (HF) is frequently complicated by malnutrition. We estimated nutrient intake in HF patients and evaluated the correlation between serum cytokines and dietary pattern.


METHODS
We studied 124 elderly (>or=60 years) patients with severe HF (N=62) or without HF (controls, N=62), matched for age and sex. Nutritional data were obtained from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) questionnaire. We compared the intake of macro- and micronutrients in the two groups; in the HF group nutritional intake was correlated with serum cytokines.


RESULTS
HF patients had a lower energy intake (26.8 Kcal/Kg of ideal weight vs. 37.3 Kcal /Kg ideal weight in controls, P<0.001) due to a lower intake of all macronutrients. The energy intake was lower than the recommended (30 Kcal/Kg of ideal body weight) in 72% of HF and 34% of the controls. The intake of several minerals and vitamins was inferior to the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) in most participants. Those HF patients with a caloric intake below the median (22.6 Kcal/Kg ideal weight) did not differ substantially from those with higher caloric intake with regard to age, functional characteristics, and lean body mass as expressed by the mid-arm muscle circumference, however, they had a higher concentration of IL4 (61.5 pg/ml vs. 37.7 pg/ml, P=0.075) and of IL10 (6.32 pg/ml vs. 2.06 pg/ml, P=0.046).


CONCLUSIONS
Nutritional intake is frequently inadequate in patients with severe HF. Our results suggest that some interleukins might affect caloric intake in patients with HF.
Catapano
Girolamo
G
Fondazione San Raffaele, Cittadella della Carità, Taranto, Italy.
Pedone
Claudio
C
Nunziata
Eleonora
E
Zizzo
Alessandro
A
Passantino
Andrea
A
Incalzi
Raffaele Antonelli
RA
D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D002149:Energy Intake; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000097:blood; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D011502:Protein-Energy Malnutrition / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D012016:Reference Values; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000008:administration & dosage; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D014815:Vitamins / Q000008:administration & dosage
D016207:Cytokines; D005227:Fatty Acids; D014131:Trace Elements; D014815:Vitamins; D016753:Interleukin-10; D015847:Interleukin-4