Amino acids for dialysis patients.

Calorie/protein malnutrition is a common problem among dialysis patients. A study was designed to determine the value of adding a mixture of amino acids to the diet of 36 patients (mean age, 42 years) who had been receiving triweekly hemodialysis for periods ranging from 1 to 13 years. For 1 month the patients received a mixture containing 8 essential and 9 nonessential amino acids. Before treatment, the mean levels of most amino acids were lower in the patients than in a control group of 18 healthy subjects (mean age, 43.5 years). Significant increases in most amino acids were noted in the patients after treatment, including marked increases in tryptophan, valine, leucine, isoleucine, lysine, threonine, taurine, aspartic acid, serine, histidine, tyrosine, and alanine. The essential:non-essential and tyrosine:phenylalanine ratios increased significantly during treatment. Meanwhile, serum hematocrit levels increased and phosphorus and parathormone levels decreased significantly; no changes were noted in urea, creatinine, or total protein levels. The patients reported an improvement in health and in tone and mood after treatment. The results confirm the value of dietary supplementation for dialysis patients.