Treatment
Oral nutritional supplements during acute illness and recovery reduced non-elective hospital readmissions in older patients
Gariballa S, Forster S, Walters S, et al. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of nutritional supplementation during acute illness. Am J Med 2006;119:693–9.[CrossRef][Medline]
Q Does nutritional support during acute illness and recovery improve clinical outcome in older patients?
Key Words: acute disease • dietary supplements • nutritional status
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
Design:
randomised placebo controlled trial.
Allocation:
concealed.
Blinding:
blinded (patients, healthcare providers, {data collectors, outcome assessors,}* and data analysts).
Follow up period:
6 months.
Setting:
{a hospital in South Yorkshire, UK}.*
Patients:
445 patients 
65 years of age (mean age 77 y, 53% men) who were admitted to hospital and able to swallow. Exclusion criteria were gastric surgery, malabsorption or morbid obesity (body mass index >40), coma, severe dementia (Abbreviated Mental Test Score <6), malignancy, current receipt of supplements, or residence in an institution.
Intervention:
usual hospital diet plus daily oral nutritional supplements, 200 ml twice daily, which provided 995 kcal of energy and 100% of vitamins recommended by Reference Nutrient Intakes for healthy older people (n = 223) or usual hospital diet plus matching placebo supplement, which contained no protein or micronutrients and a minimum of 60 kcal of energy (n = 222) for 6 weeks.
Outcomes:
mortality, morbidity
University of Texas Health Science Center Houston,
Houston, Texas, USA
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