Question

Consider the following situation. One patient has a nasogastric (From nose to stomach) tube another has a feeding tube going directly into the small intestine. How would the formulas for the different forms of nutrition differ based on the point of entry into the system?

Answer 1

The nutritional composition of the two patients would be different.

The patient with a nasogastric feeding tube can be given a diet that is largely similar to healthy people, with minor differences that include decreasing the quantity of complex carbohydrates and increasing the quantity of dietary fibers. This is because the primary digestive function of the mouth is to break food into smaller pieces and begin the digestion of carbohydrates by breaking them down by the action of amylase.

On the other hand, someone whose stomach is bypassed altogether and a feeding tube is connected directly to te small intestine would also need to include a lesser quatity of protein in their diet, since protein digestion is initiated by gastric juices which are not acting on the food consumed by this individual.