Abstract
Nutritional supplements are used in the management of diseases. The composition and form of nutrients in the supplements depend on the altered needs and gastrointestinal function of patients. The nutrition label of the supplements lacks information on the in vitro digestibility of nutrients which ultimately decides the availability of nutrients for absorption. Various factors that influence digestibility and availability include source of the nutrient, gut functionality, processing, physicochemical properties in the food matrix and inter-nutrient interactions. This study aimed at analyzing the in vitro starch and protein digestibility of six commercially available food formulations used in various disease conditions. The starch digestibility index (SDI) ranged from 64.47 ± 1.92 to 82.35 ± 2.71 and rapidly available glucose (RAG) from 26.06 ± 0.61 to 44.23 ± 0.38g per 100g. Dietary fiber content was inversely related with SDI (r - 0.845). The protein digestibility ranged from 41.42 ± 2.67 - 96.84 ± 1.01%. Formulations containing isolated forms of whey, casein and soy protein had a higher digestibility than in combinations. Besides information on the nutrient content, specifying the digestion characteristics of disease specific commercial formulations will help in their judicious use in meeting the nutritional requirements in various disease conditions.
Highlights
Nutrition is an integral part of health, both in preventing certain diseases or in treating them
The macro nutrient composition and food ingredients used as the source of macronutrients of the six commercial formulations are shown in table no.[1] and table no.[2], respectively
Formulation DM is designed for patients with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus and has a higher amount of fiber
Summary
Nutrition is an integral part of health, both in preventing certain diseases or in treating them. Research in the field of clinical nutrition supports the use of oral nutrition supplements in treating disease induced malnutrition to induce favorable outcomes in patients.[2] The use of oral nutritional supplements with an aim to meet the nutrient needs in patients who are at risk of malnutrition or who are malnourished is recommended.[3] The selection of a suitable nutrition supplement or a formulation is based on various factors such as individual nutrient needs of patients as influenced by the disease, gut functionality, mode of enteral access available etc.[4] Various commercial disease-specific formulations are available with nutrient profile suitable in managing disease conditions such as diabetes mellitus (to maintain normal blood glucose levels), renal disease (to reduce electrolyte burden and to meet the altered protein needs), hepatic disease (to meet desired protein intake in a state of hepatic encephalopathy), hyper metabolic conditions (to boost the immune function), respiratory distress (to limit carbon dioxide production or to attenuate inflammatory stress), malabsorption (to enhance absorption of nutrients by use of partially hydrolyzed forms) etc.[5]
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