title: Study protocol: High-protein nutritional intervention based on β-hydroxy-β-methylbutirate, vitamin D3 and calcium on obese and lean aged patients with hip fractures and sarcopenia. The HIPERPROT-GER study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Loss of muscle strength is associated with falls, which, in turn, are the main cause of hip fractures in elderly people. The factors that most influence loss of strength in elderly people are a decrease in muscle mass, i.e. sarcopenia, and an increase in fat, i.e. obesity.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective randomized clinical trial among patients who have undergone an operation for a traumatic hip fracture and who are aged 65 or above will be implemented. We shall compare a control diet against a high-protein diet enriched with β-hydroxy-βmethylbutirate, calcium and vitamin D. The diet will be administered during 30 days of hospitalization in the orthopaedic geriatric rehabilitation unit. There will be 50 patients in each arm of the study. The main objective is to assess whether the experimental diet, together with rehabilitation, improves functional recovery, measured on the Barthel index. Secondary objectives are to assess changes in body composition and the prevalence of sarcopenia, obesity and mortality one year after the hip fracture. We shall also assess whether there is a relationship between specific inflammatory markers, sarcopenia and functional recovery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ageing is accompanied by changes in body composition that increase the risk of falls and progressive functional loss. These factors are a public health problem because they are highly associated with disability in older people. The present study seeks to gain knowledge of those factors that are most often associated with the onset of disability and those that can be modified through diet.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Hospital San Juan de Dios, Pamplona, Spain. vmalafarina@gmail.com
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Malafarina
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Uriz-Otano
authors.forename: Lucía
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gil-Guerrero
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Iniesta
authors.forename: M Angeles
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Zulet
authors.forename: J Alfredo
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Martinez
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology; D002118:Calcium / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002762:Cholecalciferol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006620:Hip Fractures / Q000178:diet therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000178:diet therapy*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055948:Sarcopenia / Q000150:complications / Q000178:diet therapy; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014631:Valerates / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004044:Dietary Proteins; D014631:Valerates; D002762:Cholecalciferol; C004961:beta-hydroxyisovaleric acid; D002118:Calcium
keywords: High protein; Hip fracture; Obesity; Older people; Sarcopenia; β-Hydroxy-β-methylbutirate