Effect of a 12-week nutritional intervention in the food intake of patients on the waiting list for liver transplantation: A secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Inadequate food intake contributes to malnutrition in patients with cirrhosis on the waiting list for liver transplantation (LTx).

Objective: To evaluate food intake during 12 weeks of nutritional follow-up and assess factors independently associated with the difference between energy and protein intake in LTx patients.

Methods: A secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial that evaluated the effects of Beta-Hydroxy-Beta-Methylbutyrate (HMB) supplementation and nutritional intervention in patients on a liver transplant waiting list.