MALNUTRITION AND THE GUT - INTERRELATIONSHIPS

Over the last few years the concept of <<gut wall nutrition and malnutrition>> has emerged from the studies of the effects of systemic malnutrition on the structure and function of the small bowel and colon. This article is a review of available clinical and experimental data on the interrelationships between malnutrition and the gut. Special attention is given to the three following issues: the consequences of protein-calorie malnutrition on the structure and function of the small bowel and colon; the consequences of selective luminal fasting on the gut's nutrition, structure, function, and adjustment to systemic malnutrition; and the clinical implications of intestinal malnutrition with respect to local calorie deficiencies or nutritional therapy targeted to the gut.