Purpose: Gastrointestinal (GI) resection significantly impacts nutritional and physical health, causing stress and inflammation that increase energy needs. Post-operative caloric intake often falls short, disrupting protein homeostasis and compromising muscle health. Nutritional supplementation is crucial to reduce inflammation and maintain muscle health. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a three-week oral nutritional immuno-supplement (IMM) intervention compared to a control (CTL) on post-operative inflammatory status and muscle health in patients receiving limb and chest physiotherapy from June to August 2023. Methods: A randomized, controlled, blinded cohort of 20 patients (ages 30–75) undergoing GI surgery was established. Participants were recruited on the day of surgery and assigned to either the CTL, which received standard protein supplementation, or the IMM group, which received protein immune-enriched supplementation for three weeks. All participants also received chest and limb physiotherapy. Follow-up and data collection were conducted at three post-surgery time points: 3 days, 7 days, and 3 weeks. Assessments included body composition, handgrip strength, basal metabolic rate, 24-hour dietary intake, and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. Results: Fifteen patients completed the study (IMM=9, CTL=6). After three weeks of supplementation, the IMM group showed a significant increase in lean mass percentage and handgrip strength, along with a significant decrease in CRP levels, compared to the CTL. Conclusion: A 3-week oral immuno-supplement provided to patients post-GI resection, in conjunction with limb and chest physiotherapy, is more effective in reducing inflammation and preserving muscle health compared to standard protein supplementation.
Purpose: Colorectal cancer surgery presents challenges due to surgical stress and immunosuppression, leading to postoperative complications. Nutrition is crucial for colorectal cancer patients who are prone to malnutrition. This study aims to provide a comprehensive review of the role of preoperative immunonutrition in colorectal cancer surgery. Current concept: Preoperative immunonutrition, consisting of immunonutrients such as arginine, ω-3 fatty acids, and nucleotides, has emerged as a potential strategy to enhance surgical outcomes by modulating immune responses and reducing complications. Current guidelines recommend preoperative oral nutritional supplements for major abdominal surgery and immunonutrition for nutritionally high-risk patients. Meta-analysis have demonstrated significant decreases in infectious complications and hospital stay durations with preoperative immunonutrition. However, limitations such as publication bias and heterogeneity in the previous studies should be considered. Further research should focus on the optimal timing, duration, and amount of immunonutrition; the patient populations that would benefit most; and the integration of immunonutrition into enhanced recovery after surgery protocols. Conclusion: While preoperative immunonutrition shows promise, additional research is crucial to refine protocols and establish optimal clinical practice utilization.
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The 2024 Korean Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) guidelines for colorectal cancer: a secondary publication Kil-yong Lee, Soo Young Lee, Miyoung Choi, Moonjin Kim, Ji Hong Kim, Ju Myung Song, Seung Yoon Yang, In Jun Yang, Moon Suk Choi, Seung Rim Han, Eon Chul Han, Sang Hyun Hong, Do Joong Park, Sang-Jae Park Annals of Coloproctology.2025; 41(1): 3. CrossRef
The 2024 Korean Enhanced Recovery After Surgery guidelines for colorectal cancer Kil-yong Lee, Soo Young Lee, Miyoung Choi, Moonjin Kim, Ji Hong Kim, Ju Myung Song, Seung Yoon Yang, In Jun Yang, Moon Suk Choi, Seung Rim Han, Eon Chul Han, Sang Hyun Hong, Do Joong Park, Sang-Jae Park Annals of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism.2024; 16(2): 22. CrossRef
Purpose: Proper nutrition and supplementation are paramount in surgical patients. Suboptimal nutrition status is increasingly recognized as an independent predictor of poor surgical outcomes. The purpose of this review is to highlight the need for nutritional protocols, with an emphasis on perioperative nutrition. Current concept: Perioperative nutrition support is considered an adjunctive strategy in most centers, although it is proven to be the key in improving surgical outcomes. There is a need to increase the standards and formulate policies and protocols to optimize perioperative nutrition support. Components of perioperative nutrition include nutritional screening and assessment, prehabilitation, preoperative metabolic optimization and carbohydrate loading, postoperative early enteral feeding and perioperative parenteral nutrition, immunonutrition and micronutrients, and oral nutritional supplementation vs. hospital-based kitchen feeds. Supplemental parenteral nutrition becomes valuable when enteral nutrition alone cannot fulfil energy needs. In patients in the surgical intensive care unit who are dealing with hemodynamic instability, high levels of serum lactate unrelated to thiamine deficiency, acidosis, significant liver dysfunction, high blood sugar, and high blood lipid levels, parenteral nutrition must be started with caution. In the post-surgery care ward, it is advisable to administer up to 30 kcal/kg/day and 1.2–2 g/kg/day of protein. Conclusion: The positive impact of comprehensive nutritional support and the importance of setting and executing standards must be highlighted. Emphasis should be placed on overcoming existing challenges in implementing nutrition therapy in current surgical practice, as better perioperative nutrition supports better surgical outcomes.
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Nutritional intervention for weight loss in presurgical phase – case study Ana-Maria Damian The Romanian Journal of Nutrition.2024; 4(4): 4. CrossRef