Undernutrition and function: another piece in the jigsaw

The stomach, small intestine and pancreas share in the progressive bodily dysfunction associated with undernutrition and weight loss. All these changes are reversed by nutritional support whether given enterally or parenterally, emphasizing that parenteral and enteral nutrition are the treatment of gastrointestinal failure as dialysis is of renal failure or ventilation is of respiratory failure. The observations described by Winter and colleagues have important implications for our understanding of the relationship between nutrition and physiology, They also have important implications for the care of patients with gastrointestinal disease. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 12:149-150 (C) 2000 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.