Effect of High Protein, High-calorie Oral Nutritional Supplementation in Malnourished Elderly in Nursing Homes.

Effect of High Protein, High-calorie Nutritional Supplementation in Malnourished Elderly in Nursing Homes. A Prospective, Observational, Multicentric Study (PROT-e-GER Study)

The hypothesis of this study is that the administration of a high-calorie high-protein oral nutritional supplement twice a day for three months to elderly malnourished in residents in Spain is associated with improved nutritional status, with an increase in body weight of between 5 and 8%, and an improvement in functional status, with low incidence of complication.

A prospective, multi centric, observational study. The study is conducted in elderly living in nursing homes in Spain.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age greater than or equal to 65 years,
• Living in nursing homes,
• Malnutrition treated with an hyper-caloric oral nutritional supplementation (1.3 Kcal / ml) and high-protein (protein 20%).

Exclusion Criteria:

• Tube feeding (nasogastric or gastrostomy)
• Terminally ill or palliative treatment and residents with life expectancy of less than 6 months
• Special nutritional requirements (for example by intestinal malabsorption, short bowel residents or specific nutrition for renal insufficiency).