Rapid turnover proteins as index of nutritional status in benign diseases.

Changes in the levels of rapid turnover proteins (RTP) during total parenteral nutrition (TPN) were compared with changes in other nutritional measures in 40 adult patients with benign diseases who were considered to have moderate to severe protein-energy malnutrition on the basis of anthropometric measurements. Measures such as weight for height, arm muscle circumference, triceps skinfold thickness, and serum albumin showed significant increases by the third to fourth week of TPN, but significant increases in RTP were already observed during the first week. The per cent changes in RTP levels compared with the levels before TPN were significantly greater than the changes in the other measures. The RTP are sensitive indices of protein nutritional status and should be efficacious for the evaluation of nutritional therapy.