In seven moderately overweight noninsulin-dependent diabetics with slightly elevated triglyceride levels, disappearance rates of infused medium chain triglyceride/long chain triglyceride (MCT/LCT) and long chain triglyceride (LCT) emulsions were compared. Five metabolically healthy volunteers served as controls. During a 3-hr lipid infusion, serum triglycerides reached a steady state with both emulsions in the healthy controls, whereas, in diabetic patients, steady state triglyceride levels were seen only with MCT/LCT. After the end of the lipid infusion, the longest half-life value in the decline of triglyceride levels was found with LCT in diabetics, whereas significantly shorter and quite similar half-life values were found with LCT in healthy controls and with MCT/LCT in diabetics. As expected, the shortest half-life for serum triglycerides was found in healthy controls after MCT/LCT-infusion. Virtually the same differences in serum concentrations and in half-life times were seen with free fatty acids. According to these data, if needed, parenteral nutrition with lipids in states of disturbed glucose and lipid metabolism may preferentially be done with MCT/LCT emulsions.

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Changes of hepatic morphology during parenteral nutrition with lipid emulsions containing LCT or MCT/LCT quantified by ultrasound.

Fatty infiltration of the liver with cholestasis is one of the complications of total parenteral nutrition (TPN). The cause has not yet been determined. It seems probable, however, that these alterations could be prevented when a mixture of medium- and long-chain triglycerides (MCT/LCT) is used as a fat component instead of the application of long-chain emulsions (LCT) alone. To determine whether this could also be demonstrated morphologically in man, 14 patients needing TPN (25 kcal/kg BW x day, carbohydrate 45%, fat 35%, protein 20%) were examined by ultrasound in order to compare liver size and gray-scale value before and after 7 days of TPN. Seven of the patients were randomly administered a MCT/LCT emulsion as their fat intake, the other seven were exclusively given LCT. There were no changes in liver size and gray-scale value in the MCT/LCT-group, whereas both parameters showed a significant rise in the patients with LCT (size: 10.4 +/- 1.4 to 11.5 +/- 1.4 cm; gray-scale value: 9.3 +/- 1.0 to 11.6 +/- 0.7). These data suggest that TPN, administered with a mixture of MCT/LCT emulsions as fat components, could reduce the risk of hepatic dysfunction such as cholestasis and fatty infiltration of the liver.

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