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 .
Preoperative oral carbohydrate treatment attenuates immediate postoperative insulin resistance.
Postoperative insulin resistance is a well-characterized metabolic state that has been shown to correlate with the length of postoperative stay in hospital . Preoperative intravenous or oral carbohydrate treatment has been shown to attenuate the development of postoperative insulin resistance measured 1 day after surgery . To study the effects of preoperative oral carbohydrate treatment on postoperative changes in insulin resistance and substrate utilization , in the absence of postoperative confounding factors , 15 patients were double-blindly treated with either a carbohydrate-rich beverage ( 12.5 % ) ( n = 8) or placebo ( n = 7 ) before undergoing total hip replacement surgery .  Insulin sensitivity , endogenous glucose release , and substrate oxidation rates were measured before and immediately after surgery . Whole body insulin sensitivity decreased by 18 % in the treatment group vs. 43 % in the placebo group ( P < 0.05 , Student 's t-test for unpaired data ) . In both groups , the major mechanism of insulin resistance was an inhibition of insulin-induced nonoxidative glucose disposal after surgery . The better preservation of insulin sensitivity in the treatment group was attributable to a less reduced glucose disposal in peripheral tissues and increased glucose oxidation rates
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 .