Whitepaper: Benefits of Dairy Proteins in the Nutritional Support of Cancer Patients
Concept Card: Medical Protein Powder
Concept Card: Medical Protein Beverage
Optimal nutritional status is important for all patients undergoing surgery because the body has an increased demand for resources to support recovery and tissue healing.
Lean tissue loss can occur after surgery if a patient does not receive adequate nutrition. Therefore, nutritional support is important both pre-and post-surgery to minimize the risk of catabolism, help patients return to an anabolic (muscle-building) state that supports a faster recovery, and to reduce the risk of post-surgical complications such as slow recovery, infection, longer hospital stay, etc..
Post-operative recovery can be challenging because bed rest, reduced appetite, nausea, fatigue, or poor pain management can impair dietary protein intake. Accordingly, loss of muscle mass can be a significant contributor to post-surgical complications if protein intake is not sufficient to support tissue healing and recovery.
Patients undergoing elective surgery with no complications lose an average of 2 kg of lean body mass because of the catabolic, inflammatory effect of surgical stress.2
The evidence-based multi-disciplinary Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) guidelines recommend avoiding pre-operative fasting, and reintroducing oral fluid and food intake as soon as possible after surgery. The European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) also recommends that patients who are unable to meet their energy needs are administered oral nutritional supplements (ONS), regardless of their nutritional status.8 Use of ONS can significantly increase protein intake, reducing the length of hospital stay for patients who have undergone surgery, and lowering the risk of infection.3
40–50% of patients undergoing surgery experience a degree of malnutrition.9
Appropriate nutritional support is essential for maintaining and recovering lean body mass after surgery, faster recovery, and a reduction post-operative complications and hospital stay durations.
Nutiani has a range of market-ready products, including low osmolarity beverages. Our dairy proteins allow us to create unique solutions through relentless innovation providing formulation flexibility for manufacturers to include additional minerals and nutrients that help to further enhance recovery.
ONSs are Foods for Special Medical Purposes designed and developed according to strict guidelines to provide energy and nutrient-dense solutions in liquid or powdered form. ONSs are developed using scientific and clinical evidence to modify the levels and sources of nutrients to meet the special requirements of specific patient groups.
In addition to the usual technical challenges (feasibility, nutritional validation, shelf-life stability), to improve the total nutritional intake it is crucial to develop ONS products that are well tolerated and accepted by consumers.
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