ABSTRACT
The liver plays a central role in the metabolism of carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals. Therefore, the metabolism of these nutritional elements is gradually disturbed with progressive chronic liver disease, resulting in undernourishment and/or malnutrition. Malnutrition is an established complication among patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) (Caregaro et al., 1996; Roongpisuthipong et al., 2001; Campillo et al., 2003; Riggio et al., 2003; Cabre and Gassull, 2005). It is characterized by protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) in LC, which is closely associated with the prognosis of LC, and many factors directly contribute to the pathogenesis of PEM in LC (Tajika et al., 2002; Guglielmi et al., 2005; Tsiaousi et al., 2008).
