The role of Branched Chain Amino Acids in the treatment of hepatic Encephalopathy.

The relationship between intake of nutrients and Hepatic Encephalopathy (HE) dates back to the historical roots of experimental hepatology. Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAA; Isoleucine, leucine and valine) have attracted particular interest and in 1956 Müting described the amino acid pattern in patients with cirrhosis. The abnormal plasma pattern has been characterized by the ratio between BCAA and aromatic amino acids in plasma, the so called 'Fischer´s ratio'.