Medical nutrition is often missing from critical conversations about cancer treatment. A new paper reveals that treating oncology patients with high protein oral nutritional supplements (HPONS) can transform medical outcomes by reducing complications, shortening hospital stays, and improving quality of life.
Malnutrition is one of the most insidious tricks hiding up cancer’s sleeve. This is not simply eating less; it concerns the involuntary loss of appetite, weight, and muscle known as cancer cachexia, leaving patients fatigued and vulnerable. During this fight, every nutrient matters.
Increased protein intake is often recommended by healthcare professionals to help maintain resilience and counteract muscle loss, but the challenge lies in ensuring patients get what they need when eating becomes a struggle.
When the body lacks protein and other key nutrients during treatment, complications rise, hospital stays lengthen, and quality of life suffers. This is where nutrition becomes more than food—it becomes medicine.
Marta Delsoglio, our Senior Clinical Research Manager at Danone Research & Innovation highlights a critical gap in existing literature: while previously existing reviews on ONS referenced high protein options, there existed a lack of up-to-date systematic reviews focused on the clinical outcomes of supplements containing ≥20% energy from protein. A novel systematic review and meta-analysis led by Marta, together with her team and other experts, reveals that HPONS can make a measurable difference. Scanning across 30 studies and over 2,200 patients, they found that HPONS use was linked to fewer complications and shorter hospital stays — marking a major step towards improved outcomes.
Our findings show HPONS can be strategically integrated into cancer care to support recovery and improve quality of life.
By integrating HPONS into treatment plans, healthcare teams can support better overall outcomes for patients. As the body of evidence grows, so does the call to make medical nutrition a standard part of conversations on cancer care.
