15 January 2021 — New Phase Two findings from the SHIELD study by Changi General Hospital (CGH), SingHealth Polyclinics (SHP), and Abbott – which aims to strengthen health in the elderly through nutrition – revealed that improved nutritional intake reduced the risk of malnutrition by almost three-fold and promoted better health.

The double-blind clinical study of 811 participants, aged 65 and up, recently published in Clinical Nutrition, examined the effects of consuming oral nutritional supplements along with individualised dietary counselling to enhance health outcomes of older adults living in the community who are at risk of malnutrition.

When compared to the control group who received individualised dietary counselling and a placebo supplement over six months, the group of 405 participants who received individualised dietary counselling and consumed two servings of a specialized oral nutritional supplement containing beta-hydroxy-beta-methyl-butyrate (HMB) each day showed:

• Improvements in overall health outcomes without hospital admission or readmission, with at least 5% weight gain
• Three times lower risk of malnutrition
• Improved vitamin D status
• Enhanced physical function, specifically increased leg strength and improved handgrip strength