A Research on the Significance of Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) in the Diets of Liver Cirrhosis Patients

Abstract

This research has been realized with an aim of observing the effect of increasing the branched chain amino acid amount in the diets of liver cirrhotic patients on the treatment of the disease on 13 patients 7 of which are female and 6 of which are male of ages 37-71 with liver cirrhosis classified according to its viral etiology hospitalized at Turkish Higher Proficiency Hospital Gastroenterology Clinic. The patients anthropometric measuring Body Mass Index (BMI), Triceps Skin-fold Thickness (TST), Mid Arm Circumference (MAC) and blood samples for some biochemical parameters especially branched chain amino acids (BCAA) and aromatic amino acids (AAA) analysis have been taken 3 times , in the Beginning , at the end of the 15 days diet treatment in harmony with chronic hepatic disease ( Treatment I) and at the end of 1 month enrich from BCAA oral enteral product supported diet period from BCAA’s provided as a supplement to this diet (Treatment II) . The blood BCAA levels of patients have increased between Beginning – Treatment II and Treatment I – Treatment II periods and this increase has been found statistically significant (p<0.05) . The ratio of BCAA/AAA has increased in Treatment II and this increased has been found statistically significant (p< 0.05). According to this study, adding of oral enteral products BCAAs to the diets of chronic liver disease patients can increase in blood BCAA/AAA ratio and decrease in blood ammoniac levels, thus result in improving the prognosis of the disease.