Nutrition
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Calcium is an essential nutrient that is involved in most metabolic processes and the phosphate salts of which provide mechanical rigidity to the bones and teeth, where 99% of the body's calcium resides. The calcium in the skeleton has the additional role of acting as a reserve supply of calcium to meet the body's metabolic needs in states of calcium deficiency. Calcium deficiency is easily induced because of the obligatory losses of calcium via the bowel, kidneys, and skin. ⋯ In older women, the importance of calcium intake is overshadowed by the strong association between vitamin D insufficiency and hip fracture. Whether this insufficiency arises primarily from lack of exposure to sunlight or to a progressive failure to activate the vitamin D precursor in the skin or both is uncertain but it is compounded by a general decline in dietary vitamin D intake with age. The biological effect is probably an impairment of calcium absorption and c
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Review Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Outcome of critically ill patients after supplementation with glutamine.
Glutamine has many important metabolic roles that may protect or promote tissue integrity and enhance the immune system. The normal abundance of glutamine has meant that it has not been considered necessary to include glutamine in traditional parenteral feeds. However, low plasma and tissue levels of glutamine (Gln) in the critically ill suggest that demand may exceed endogenous supply. ⋯ The few percent of the most critically ill intensive care patients who are unable to tolerate enteral nutrition are especially at risk since they have increased demands for glutamine yet lack an exogenous supply. Such patients undergo considerable skeletal muscle wasting compromising glutamine supply further. In a prospective, randomised double blind clinical study of 84 patients with a high mortality due to multiple organ failure requiring parenteral feeding a significant improvement in six-month survival was observed in the group supplemented with glutamine 24/42 versus isonitrogenous, isoenergetic control 14/42, P = 0.049.