Figure 1.

Plasma concentrations of cortisol and acetylcholine (A); total and essential amino acids (B); urea and creatinine (C); and 3-methylhistidine (D) at baseline and at 3 and 6 month in elderly patients exclusively receiving a protein-enriched enteral diet. ACTH, adrenocorticotropin hormone; AA, amino acids; EAA, essential amino acids. Differences between times were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test, considering P < 0.05 to be significant. In each group, superscript letters were significantly different.