The first Israeli study (14) involving
88 patients and a follow-up time of 17 months failed to
demonstrate any improvements on these parameters when
comparing the oral route to enteral feeding. However, the
second Israeli study (19), which dealt with a higher number of
patients (167) and a follow-up of 21 months, demonstrated a
significant improvement in albumin levels for the EN group,
while the OR group experienced a reduction of this indicator.
The OR group displayed a slight reduction in BMI, while the
EN group had a reduction of almost 1 kg/m2. However, the EN
group started the study with a significantly lower body weight
compared with the OR group, and more patients in the first
group experienced a 5% or more increase in initial body weight
than OR group patients. The authors still relate an improvement
in chronic inflammation parameters with EN