© 2008 European Society of Cardiology
Nutrient intake and serum cytokine pattern in elderly people with heart failure
a Fondazione San Raffaele—Cittadella della Carità Taranto, Italy
b Area di Geriatria, Università Campus Biomedico Roma, Italy
c Divisione di Cardiologia e Riabilitazione Cardiaca, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico "Fondazione Salvatore Maugeri" Cassano Murge (BA), Italy
* Corresponding author. Area di Geriatria, Università Campus Biomedico, Via dei Compositori 130, 00128 Roma, Italy. Tel.: +39 06 22541654; fax: +39 06 22541602. E-mail address: claudio_pedone{at}virgilio.it (C. Pedone).
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Abstract |
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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 (
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.
Key Words: Heart failure • Nutrition • Elderly
Received June 14, 2007; Revised December 20, 2007; Accepted February 26, 2008