Effects of Enteral Nutrition on Serum Non-glutamine Amino-acids Pattern of Patients Following Surgery for Tumors of Digestive System

Objective:To evaluate the effects of enteral nutrition(EN) and parenteral nutrition(PN) on serum non-glutamine amino-acids pattern of patients following surgery for tumors of digestive system.Methods:40 patients who underwent surgery for gastroenteric tumors were randomized to EN group (n=20) or PN group (n=20) for 7 days. Isocaloric and isonitrogenous nutritional supports began at the first day after operation and were maintained for a week. Serum amino-acids pattern was measured preoperatively and on the 8th day after operation. Results: In EN group, the levels of aspartic acid(ASP), serine(SER), glutamic acid(GLU), cysteine(CYS), isoleucine(ILE) and phenylalanine(PHE) were increased significantly. A rise of methionine(MET) and a decrease of histidine(His) were showed in PN group.Conclusion:In the state of stress after surgery for tumors of digestive system, EN offers better support on serum amino-acids, even increases levels of some amino-acids significantly, such as ASP, SER, GLU, CYS, ILE and PHE.