Effects of essential amino acid supplementation and rehabilitation on functioning in hip fracture patients: a pilot randomized controlled trial

Background: Physical exercise and nutrition seem to have a key role in the management of hip fracture patients.

Aim: To evaluate the impact of a 2-month rehabilitative protocol combined with dietetic counseling, with or without essential amino acid supplementation, on functioning in hip fracture patients.

Methods: In this pilot randomized controlled study, we recruited patients aged more than 65 years, at 3 months after hip fracture. We randomly assigned the participants into two groups (A and B). Both groups performed a physical exercise rehabilitative programme (five sessions of 40 min/week for 2 weeks, followed by a home-based exercise protocol) and received a dietetic counseling; only group A was supplemented with two sachets of 4 g/day of essential amino acids (Aminotrofic^®). We evaluated at baseline and after 2 months of intervention (T₁): hand grip strength, Timed Up and Go, and Iowa Level of Assistance scale (ILOA).

Results: The 32 hip fracture patients (mean aged 79.03 ± 7.80 years) were allocated into two groups: group A (n = 16) and group B (n = 16). All the participants showed significant differences in all outcomes at T₁ (p < 0.017). Sarcopenic patients in group A (n = 10) showed statistically significant differences in all the primary outcomes at T₁ (p < 0.017), whereas sarcopenic patients in group B (n = 13) showed a significant reduction of ILOA only. In non-sarcopenic patients, we found no differences at T₁ in all outcome measures.

Discussion: Hip fractures are a complex multifactorial condition of the elderly that determines devastating effects on functioning and independence.

Conclusion: A multidisciplinary rehabilitative and nutritional intervention seems to be effective on functioning in hip fracture patients, in particular sarcopenic ones.