Increase Protein Intake
The American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition and the European Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition recommend cirrhotic patients must consume at least 25 to 40 kcal/kg/day based on their dry body weight. This translates to 1.0 to 1.5 kilograms of protein daily to prevent protein catabolism.
Remembering that protein intake plays a key role among patients with liver cirrhosis is crucial. Traditionally, 0.6 grams/kg/day. This amount was recommended as the standard medical nutrition therapy for cirrhotic patients to prevent hepatic encephalopathy. In recent years, this amount was increased to 1.2 to 1.5 g/kg/day for adults with liver cirrhosis.
There are many strategies to increase the amount of protein intake among older adults with cirrhosis. Ensuring adequate protein intake may be implemented through regular protein implementation after every meal, protein intake prior to bedtime, and supplementation of branched-chain amino acids. It is also essential to note that cirrhotic patients have different tolerance to dietary proteins. For example, studies reveal that dairy protein is better tolerated than protein from mixed sources. Furthermore, patients with cirrhosis tolerate vegetable protein better than meat protein.
