A multi-center prospective study of plant-based nutritional support in adult community-based patients at risk of disease-related malnutrition.

Abstract

Introduction:

There is an emerging need for plant-based, vegan options for patients requiring nutritional support.

Methods:

Twenty-four adults at risk of malnutrition (age: 59 years (SD 18); Sex: 18 female, 6 male; BMI: 19.0 kg/m2 (SD 3.3); multiple diagnoses) requiring plant-based nutritional support participated in a multi-center, prospective study of a (vegan suitable) multi-nutrient, ready-to-drink, oral nutritional supplement (ONS) [1.5 kcal/mL; 300 kcal, 12 g protein/200 mL bottle, mean prescription 275 mL/day (SD 115)] alongside dietary advice for 28 days. Compliance, anthropometry, malnutrition risk, dietary intake, appetite, acceptability, gastrointestinal (GI) tolerance, nutritional goal(s), and safety were assessed.

Results:

Patients required a plant-based ONS due to personal preference/variety (33%), religious/cultural reasons (28%), veganism/reduce animal-derived consumption (17%), environmental/sustainability reasons (17%), and health reasons (5%). Compliance was 94% (SD 16). High risk of malnutrition ('MUST' score ≥ 2) reduced from 20 to 16 patients (p = 0.046). Body weight (+0.6 kg (SD 1.2), p = 0.02), BMI (+0.2 kg/m2 (SD 0.5), p = 0.03), total mean energy (+387 kcal/day (SD 416), p < 0.0001) and protein intake (+14 g/day (SD 39), p = 0.03), and the number of micronutrients meeting the UK reference nutrient intake (RNI) (7 vs. 14, p = 0.008) significantly increased. Appetite (Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire (SNAQ) score; p = 0.13) was maintained. Most GI symptoms were stable throughout the study (p > 0.06) with no serious adverse events related.

Discussion:

This study highlights that plant-based nutrition support using a vegan-suitable plant-based ONS is highly complied with, improving the nutritional outcomes of patients at risk of malnutrition.

• Authors: Marta Delsoglio, Corbin Griffen, Rakshan Syed, Tobias Cookson, Hanorah Saliba, Amanda Vowles, Samuel Davies, Nicola Willey, Jennifer Thomas, Nicola Millen, Nour Odeh, Jayne Longstaff, Naomi Westran, Lindsey Allan, Hannah Offer, Chloe Howell, Meg Sanders, Kirsty Gaffigan, Kirby Garrett, Sally Foster, Agnes Salt, Emily Carter, Sarah Moore, Nick Bergin, Jane Roper, Joe Alvarez, Christine Voss, Teresa Connolly, Clare MacDonald, Tracey Thrower, Darren Sills, Janet Baxter, Rhonda Manning, Lynsey Gray, Karen Voas, Scot Richardson, Anne-Marie Hurren, Daniel Murphy, Susan Blake, Paul McArdle, Sinead Walsh, Lucy Booth, Louise Albrich, Sarah Ashley-Maguire, Joanna Allison, Sarah Brook, Rebecca Capener, Gary P Hubbard, Rebecca J Stratton
• Journal: Frontiers in nutrition (Front Nutr) Vol. 10 Pg. 1297624 ( 2023) ISSN: 2296-861X [Print] Switzerland
• PMID: 38024371 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2023 Delsoglio, Griffen, Syed, Cookson, Saliba, Vowles, Davies, Willey, Thomas, Millen, Odeh, Longstaff, Westran, Allan, Offer, Howell, Sanders, Gaffigan, Garrett, Foster, Salt, Carter, Moore, Bergin, Roper, Alvarez, Voss, Connolly, MacDonald, Thrower, Sills, Baxter, Manning, Gray, Voas, Richardson, Hurren, Murphy, Blake, McArdle, Walsh, Booth, Albrich, Ashley-Maguire, Allison, Brook, Capener, Hubbard and Stratton.