Stable isotope ratios of carbon, nitrogen and selenium concentration in the scalp hair of Crohn's disease patients who ingested the elemental diet Elental®

Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom. 2019 Jan 15;33(1):41-48. doi: 10.1002/rcm.8296.

Abstract

Rationale: Elental® is an elemental diet widely used as a nutritional supplement for Crohn's disease (CD) patients in Japan. Elental® contains amino acids as nitrogen sources and does not contain selenium (Se), and the δ13 C and δ15 N values of Elental® are markedly higher and lower, respectively, than those of a normal diet.

Methods: We compared the δ13 C and δ15 N values and Se concentration in the scalp hair of CD patients with those of control subjects who ate a regular diet, and estimated the amount of Elental® ingested as a supplement. The δ13 C and δ15 N values and the Se concentrations were quantified using isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), respectively.

Results: An increase in Elental® ingestion increased the δ13 C value in the hair of CD patients (p <0.05), while it reduced the δ15 N value (p <0.05) and tended to reduce the Se concentration in female patients.

Conclusions: The amount of Elental® ingested could be estimated by the δ13 C and δ15 N values in the hair of CD patients. Furthermore, the Se deficiency in female patients may be predicted from the δ13 C and δ15 N values.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Carbon Isotopes / analysis*
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Crohn Disease / diet therapy*
  • Dietary Supplements
  • Energy Intake
  • Female
  • Food, Formulated*
  • Hair / chemistry*
  • Humans
  • Lipids / pharmacokinetics
  • Male
  • Mass Spectrometry / methods
  • Nitrogen Isotopes / analysis*
  • Nutrition Assessment
  • Scalp
  • Selenium / analysis

Substances

  • Carbon Isotopes
  • Lipids
  • Nitrogen Isotopes
  • Selenium