Abbreviations:
SMA) blood flux, upper gastrointestinal symptoms
UPPER GASTROINTESTINAL SYMPTOMS
An estimated 25 % of adults admitted to hospital in the UK are undernourishedDisruption to the normal gastrointestinal response to feeding may occur when feeding a liquid, via a tube, directly into the stomach. The oral and oesophageal response are bypassed, and gastric emptying rates of liquids, meals of mixed consistency, and solids into the small intestine differAlginates, polysaccharides derived from the cell walls of brown seaweedThe purpose of this study was thus to test the hypothesis, in healthy participants, that acute exposure to an NGTF that forms a gel intragastrically results in different gastrointestinal responses compared with a non-gelling feed. Using MRI, the gastric appearance, the liquid and semi-liquid gastric contents volume (GCV) and SBWC (primary outcome) were measured when feeding a gelling and non-gelling feed. SBWC was defined as freely mobile water with a bright-white appearance with MRI. Post-feeding blood glucose and serum insulin profiles, plasma gut hormone profiles, superior mesenteric artery (SMA) blood flux, and measures of upper gastrointestinal symptoms and appetitive response were obtained to identify potential mechanisms and clinical consequences. The feeds that were compared were a sodium alginate-containing feed that was expected to gel in the stomach and a non-gelling feed of similar energy and macronutrient composition.