“Pig interorgan balance studies in health and disease”

This dissertation describes a clinically relevant pig model that provides insight into metabolic changes in severe sepsis and acute hepatic failure. By using new tracer methods, we demonstrate that intestinal and hepatic interorgan metabolism is very complex and dynamic, even under healthy circumstances. It is shown that in severe sepsis, intestinal and hepatic metabolism is more disturbed than muscle metabolism. This information can contribute to the development of new nutritional strategies in illness. In addition, the protein quality of foods is shown to determine the availability of nutrients in the blood circulation. Therefore, the packaging of food products should always contain information about the protein quality.