A multi-center, prospective, single-arm, open label, 13-month intervention study of a plant-based, high energy and protein enteral tube feed in home enterally tube fed patients
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: Introduction There is an emerging need for plant-based options for home enteral tube feeding (HETF) patients, however their long-term efficacy and safety needs to be established. Methods Forty-one HETF patients (age: 51 years (SD 23); range 19–84 years; 54% male) participated in a multi-center, prospective, single-arm, open label, 13-month intervention study of a plant-based, high energy, high protein (2 kcaL/mL and 10 g protein/100 mL) enteral tube feed with or without added fiber (1.5 g/100 mL). Seventeen patients continued on the plant-based feed beyond day 28 (28 D) with a 6- and 13-month follow-up (6 M and 13 M). Outcomes included gastrointestinal tolerance (GI), anthropometrics, muscle strength and function (handgrip strength, 30-s chair stand test (30SCST)), dietary intake, total daily feed volume and time for feeding, and safety. Results Compared to patient’s baseline feeding regimen, patients using the plant-based feed reported: greater absence of GI symptoms at all time points (+7–12%, p ≤ 0.04); a reduced incidence and intensity of GI symptoms: bloating, burping at 28 D (p < 0.05) and constipation, flatulence at 13 M (p < 0.05); improved physical function between 6 M and 13 M (+2 30SCST repetitions, p = 0.02), with maintenance of body weight, calf circumference and handgrip strength; total protein intake increased at all time points (+0.2–0.3 g/kg/day, p < 0.05); and total daily feed volume (−225 to −264 mL/day, p < 0.05) and estimated time for pump feeding (−2 h/day, p < 0.05) reduced at all time points. Discussion This longitudinal study highlights that a plant-based (vegan-suitable) high energy, high protein enteral tube feed has good tolerance in HETF patients, positive long-term effects on protein intake and potential benefits on physical function.
Source: Frontiers in Nutrition
Authors: Gary P. Hubbard, Corbin Griffen, Rebecca Capener, Nicky Wyer, Rebecca Martin, Rachel Raif, Lisa Green, Sheryl Sutcliffe, Elizabeth Michaels, Yvonne Dube, Johanna Bates, Alina Bidgood, Claudiu Brici, Daniel J. Griffith, Hannah Meanwell, Elizabeth Diamond, Charlotte Lennon, Louise Lewis, Lyndsay Chandler, Lisa Szymanski, Jane Ward, Cerian Banks, Katharine Nosworthy, Natasha Glanville, Sarah Richardson, Maura Hardy, Samantha Morris, Carys Robinson, Anna Lumsdon, Naomi Hatchett, Lindsey Allan, Robyn McNaughton, Alison Campbell, Janet Baxter, Stephanie Owen, Nola Blackburn, Emma Tripp, Helen Hitchings, Sheldon C. Cooper, Ann McCloskey, Heidi Lewis, Rebecca J. Stratton
Institutions: Nutricia (United Kingdom), University Hospital Coventry, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, North East London NHS Foundation Trust, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Whitstable and Tankerton Hospital, George Eliot Hospital, South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, Romsey Hospital, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, Bishop Auckland Hospital, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, University Hospital of North Tees, Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, Perth Royal Infirmary, NHS Tayside, Royal Derby Hospital, University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Kingston Hospital NHS Trust, Kingston Hospital, Heartlands Hospital, University of Southampton
Language: English
Subfield: Nutrition and Dietetics
Field: Nursing
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,801
OpenAlex ID: W4413869577