Oxidative stress

Free radicals from smoke, mechanical ventilation or sunrays can cause serious damage to tissues, which is called oxidative stress.  Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant which has been shown to reduce oxidative stress.  Glutathione (GSH) is a tripeptide composed of Cysteine, Glycine and Glutamate.  However, during a state of stress such as trauma and surgery, Cysteine is at its lowest level and therefore becomes rate-limiting.

Ways of optimising Glutathione production include:

• Providing adequate enteral intake of Cysteine
• Minimising stress and trauma
• Modulating the inflammatory response

Whey based diets are high in Cysteine and increase GSH production.  Casein is a much poorer source of Cysteine. Peptamen® is a 100% whey protein formula, contains 70% of fat as MCT, has a low carbohydrate load and is high in cysteine and other antioxidants.

The benefits of using Peptamen® in complex patients include:

• 100% whey is easily tolerated and promotes gastric emptying
• The high cysteine content ensures adequate production of GSH, which may reduce the deleterious effects of oxidative damage such as surgery and mechanical ventilation
• Due to low osmolarity, Peptamen® is well tolerated
• Due to a high content of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), Peptamen® is ideal for patients who need tight blood glucose control, as well as rebuilding muscle protein