| Abstrakt: |
Tube feedings are frequently used by otolaryngologists in treating head and neck malignancies and other diseases. Common side effects of these diets include: borborygmi, meteorism, cramping, distention and diarrhea. These may vary from mild gastrointestinal distress to incapacitating diarrhea. This study investigated the role of lactose as a possible cause of diarrhea associated with tube feeding diets. Lactose, the primary carbohydrate of milk, is the basic ingredient of most tube feeding diets. Two identical diets, differing only in the presence or absence of 7 percent lactose, were administered to 11 patients in a double blind fashion. Each diet was given to each patient for approximately 10 consecutive days. The patients were studied in clinical research units where meticulous intake and output and total nitrogen balance studies were possible. Nine of the 11 patients had a significant increase in the frequency of stools and a shift toward a more liquid stool consistency while on the lactose containing diet. Only two of these nine patients revealed a classical intolerance to lactose as indicated by a flat lactose tolerance test. The remaining seven patients had a relative lactose intolerance. This was clinically apparent only when they ingested a large quantity of lactose such as is contained in the usual tube feeding diet. Because lactose is not necessary for adequate nutrition, these data suggest that its elimination in tube feeding diets would result in more comfortable and efficient tube feeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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