DGEM and DGG Guidelines Enteral Nutrition: Dietary Fibre

Johann Ockenga, Tatjana Schütz, Brigitte Herbst, Matthias Pirlich, Herbert Lochs

The influence of dietary fibre on intestinal motility, absorption of nutrients, electrolytes and trace elements and on the intestinal flora has been extensively studied in animals as well as in humans. There are several studies on the effect of dietary fibre in tube-fed patients.

Because of disease-specific conditions, patients with acute diseases in intensive care must be distinguished from less severe sick or from long-term tube-fed patients (non-ICU). In non-ICU patients the use of liquid oral and enteral diets containing fibre is recommended to reduce the frequency of diarrhoea and the need for laxatives (level A).  In ICU-patients, however, a general recommendation of using fibre containing diets cannot be given due to the heterogeneous studies available.

Keywords: Guideline / enteral feeding /dietary fibre / nutrition