Jan. 18, 2016 -Results from a new clinical trial show that a specialized oral nutrition supplement was associated with a 50 percent lower death rate in older malnourished patients with a heart or lung disease 90 days following hospitalization. The study, published online today in Clinical Nutrition and supported by Abbott, estimated that within this population one life could be saved for every 21 patients who received the specialized nutrition supplement, demonstrating it as a highly effective therapy.
The NOURISH (Nutrition effect On Unplanned ReadmIssions and Survival in Hospitalized patients) study – one of the largest nutrition clinical studies of its kind – was a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The study was designed to build upon the body of evidence demonstrating that oral nutrition supplements may reduce complications, mortality and hospital readmissions in malnourished patients. Participants in the NOURISH study included 652 malnourished adults, aged 65 or older, who were admitted to the hospital and suffered from heart or lung disease. Researchers compared the effects of a specialized nutrition supplement with high protein (20 grams), HMB* (a muscle-preserving ingredient) and Vitamin D to a placebo supplement on rates of readmissions or death 90-days after leaving the hospital.