Use of thermoplastically extruded cereal products in nutrition support of patients with chronic pancreatitis and metabolic disorders

Background. Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a complex progressive disease of the pancreas, which is accompanied by significant metabolic disorders, exocrine insufficiency, maldigestion, and malabsorption. Patients with CP often face nutritional deficiencies, which include protein, vitamin, and mineral deficiencies. This leads to weight loss, anemia, and deterioration in the quality of life. One of the key elements in the treatment of such patients is diet therapy aimed at correcting nutrient deficiencies and compensating for impaired digestive system functions. In modern gastroenterological practice, functional food products manufactured using extrusion technology are attracting increasing attention. It allows creating products with high bioavailability, easy digestibility, and an optimal balance of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. In particular, thermoplastically extruded products based on wheat, buckwheat, and rice cereals, enriched with chicken fillet, carrots, apples, and pumpkin, show high potential in correcting the nutritional status of patients with CP. The purpose of the study was to assess the effectiveness of using thermoplastic extruded products in diet therapy of patients with CP. Materials and methods. The study involved 110 patients, who were divided into two groups: the main (70 participants with CP who received the proposed mixture for enteral nutrition) and the comparison one (40 people with isolated CP who were fed a standard diet). The assessment of nutritional status included determining the level of albumin, hemoglobin, body mass index, as well as the content of pancreatic elastase-1 in feces. For 12 weeks, patients in the main group received extruded products as the main element of the diet. Results. A significant improvement in the nutritional status of the patients was noted. The albumin level increased from 32.1 ± 1.8 g/l to 38.5 ± 2.1 g/l, and hemoglobin from 112 ± 5 g/l to 125 ± 6 g/l. The patients’ body mass index increased 1.7 times. All changes were statistically significant. The organoleptic evaluation of the products showed that 91 % of the patients rated them as “tasty” or “very tasty”, which ensures a high level of the diet acceptability. In addition, the products are well tolerated, which increases compliance with therapy. Conclusions. The use of thermoplastic extruded products in diet therapy for patients with CP is a promising direction in the treatment of this disease. It allows to ensure the correction of nutritional status, improve the quality of life, and also contribute to reducing the risk of developing complications associated with metabolic disorders.