Oral Nutritional Supplementation in Routine Clinical Practice to Improve Physical Performance and Nutrition in Frail Adults at Risk of Falls: Preliminary Evidence

Background/Objectives: The study aimed to describe the effect of muscle-targeted oral nutritional supplementation (MT-ONS) on enhancing physical performance and nutritional status in frail adults at risk of falls. Methods: A prospective, open-label, single-centre, descriptive study was conducted. Patients ≥70 years attending an outpatient fall clinic were recruited, assessed at baseline and after at least 90 days with MT-ONS 100% whey protein enriched with leucine and vitamin D. Sociodemographic, physical performance [Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)], nutritional status [Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form, (MNA®-SF)], walking ability [Functional Ambulation Categories (FAC)], number of falls, muscle strength (dynamometry), body composition (Tanita), health-related quality-of-life (SF-12), functional capacity (Barthel Index) and adherence data were collected. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed. Results: Twenty-six patients were assessed (58% women age: 82.1 ±5.4 years). Mean SPPB score increased from 7.3 (±3.6) to 8.0 (±4.0). At baseline, 35% were malnourished, 42% at risk of malnutrition, and 23% well-nourished. After ≥90 days of muscle-targeted ONS, 4% were malnourished; 54% at risk and 42% well-nourished. The number of falls decreased from 1.2 falls/month (±0.9) to 0.2 falls/month (±0.3, p<0.0001). Change to better physical performance correlated positively with better nutritional status (p=0.03) after MT-ONS. 92% of patients nearly always followed the ONS recommendations due to pleasant taste (71%) and smell (58%) and good health perception (58%). Conclusions: Frail adults at risk of falls who received MT-ONS, 100% whey protein enriched with leucine and vitamin D for ≥90 days improved their physical performance and nutritional status and reduced the number of falls.