Supplements linked to better function in dialysis patients
Over 12 weeks, supplementation was linked to 1.34 more chair rises in 30 seconds than no supplementation, after accounting for starting performance.
12 weeks
Limit: The abstract does not report adverse events
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Researchers enrolled 100 patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis, a treatment that filters waste from blood, in a 12-week randomized trial at one center. Patients had low baseline protein intake. Researchers assigned them to ketoanalogue supplements, low-intensity strength exercises during dialysis, both, or neither. Ketoanalogues are compounds the body can use to make amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.
Ninety-five patients completed follow-up. Supplementation was associated with better performance on the 30-second chair-rise test and preservation of thigh-muscle thickness compared with no supplementation. Exercise alone did not significantly improve chair-rise performance. Supplements alone and exercise alone each improved handgrip strength, but combining them produced no additive gains. Fatigue did not differ significantly between groups; the authors considered this finding exploratory.
Why it matters
Muscle wasting and loss of strength are concerns in aging as well as long-term dialysis. The trial examined whether nutritional support and exercise could help maintain physical function in dialysis patients.
Caveats
The trial lasted 12 weeks at one center and studied dialysis patients with low protein intake, limiting its applicability to other populations. The abstract does not report adverse events.
The paper
Mansoura University
Journal of Renal Nutrition, Aug 14, 2026
Comments
Be the first to comment.