Alagille Syndrome Clinical Care Program

Dietary Intake for Children With Alagille Syndrome

Children with Alagille syndrome should consume high-calorie diets because of their poor growth and reduced ability to absorb fat. A child with Alagille syndrome may excrete as much as 50 percent of dietary fat in his or her stool. Your child's physician may prescribe a formula or nutritional supplement with medium-chain tryglycerides because children with Alagille syndrome are better able to absorb this type of fat.

Some parents say that high-fat foods give their child loose greasy stools, so they put their child on a low-fat diet. This is not generally recommended, because fat is the most concentrated source of calories. If your child has to be on a low-fat diet because he cannot tolerate fat, you will need to make an effort to ensure your child is consuming enough calories to grow. A registered dietitian (RD) can assess your child's growth and diet, then help make dietary recommendations.

Reviewed by: Binita M. Kamath, MD
Date: January 2009


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