Intake of a carbohydrate-containing fluid is reported to improve insulin-like growth factor levels , reduce hunger , nausea , and length of stay , and attenuate the decrease in whole-body insulin sensitivity and endogenous glucose release .
Amino acid supplementation is reported to reduce muscle atrophy and accelerate return of functional mobility .
There is limited evidence for nutritional supplementation in THR and TKR pathways ; however , the low risk profile and potential benefits to adjunctive treatment methods , such as exercise programs , suggest nutritional supplements may have a role .
Optimizing nutritional status pre-operatively may help manage the surgical stress response , with a particular benefit for undernourished , frail , or elderly individuals
Nutritional supplements can influence outcomes for individuals undergoing major surgery , particularly in older persons whose functional reserve is limited .
Accelerating recovery from total hip replacement ( THR ) and total knee replacement ( TKR ) may offer significant benefits .
Therefore , we explored the role of nutritional supplements in improving recovery following THR and TKR .
Effect of β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) on lean body mass during 10 days of bed rest in older adults.
BACKGROUND Loss of muscle mass due to prolonged bed rest decreases functional capacity and increases hospital morbidity and mortality in older adults . OBJECTIVE To determine if HMB , a leucine metabolite , is capable of attenuating muscle decline in healthy older adults during complete bed rest . DESIGN A r and omized , controlled , double-blinded , parallel-group design study was carried out in 24 healthy ( SPPB ≥ 9 ) older adult subjects ( 20 women , 4 men ) , confined to complete bed rest for ten days , followed by resistance training rehabilitation for eight weeks . Subjects in the experimental group were treated with HMB ( calcium salt , 1.5 g twice daily - total 3 g/day ) . Control subjects were treated with an inactive placebo powder . Treatments were provided starting 5 days prior to bed rest till the end rehabilitation phase . DXA was used to measure body composition . RESULTS Nineteen eligible older adults ( BMI : 21 - 33 ; age : 60 - 76 year ) were evaluable at the end of the bed rest period ( Control n = 8 ; Ca-HMB n = 11 ) . Bed rest caused a significant decrease in total lean body mass ( LBM ) ( 2.05 ± 0.66 kg ; p = 0.02 , paired t-test ) in the Control group . With the exclusion of one subject , treatment with HMB prevented the decline in LBM over bed rest -0.17 ± 0.19 kg ; p = 0.23 , paired t-test ) . There was a statistically significant difference between treatment groups for change in LBM over bed rest ( p = 0.02 , ANOVA ) . Sub- analysis on female subjects ( Control = 7 , HMB = 8) also revealed a significant difference in change in LBM over bed rest between treatment groups ( p = 0.04 , ANOVA ) . However , differences in function parameters could not be observed , probably due to the sample size of the study . CONCLUSIONS In healthy older adults  , HMB supplementation preserves muscle mass during 10 days of bed rest . These results need to be confirmed in a larger trial
Intake of a carbohydrate-containing fluid is reported to improve insulin-like growth factor levels , reduce hunger , nausea , and length of stay , and attenuate the decrease in whole-body insulin sensitivity and endogenous glucose release .
Amino acid supplementation is reported to reduce muscle atrophy and accelerate return of functional mobility .
There is limited evidence for nutritional supplementation in THR and TKR pathways ; however , the low risk profile and potential benefits to adjunctive treatment methods , such as exercise programs , suggest nutritional supplements may have a role .
Optimizing nutritional status pre-operatively may help manage the surgical stress response , with a particular benefit for undernourished , frail , or elderly individuals
Nutritional supplements can influence outcomes for individuals undergoing major surgery , particularly in older persons whose functional reserve is limited .
Accelerating recovery from total hip replacement ( THR ) and total knee replacement ( TKR ) may offer significant benefits .
Therefore , we explored the role of nutritional supplements in improving recovery following THR and TKR .