Malnutrition, nutritional support and total body composition.

The nutritional status and total body composition of 33 patients with malnutrition after biliopancreatic bypass were studied. Body composition was evaluated directly by measurement of water and total sodium and indirectly by measurement of total body potassium. After nutrition with a parenteral nutritional support the conventional nutritional parameters were restored to the normal values (serum albumin and serum transferrin) and the parameters of body composition were markedly improved even though still altered with respect to healthy controls. Serum albumin and serum transferrin were shown to be very reliable indices of malnutrition but their normalization does not necessarily correspond to optimum body composition and thus to optimal normal nutrition.