Individualized Nutritional Rehabilitation Improves Muscle Strength, Cognitive Function, and Quality of Life in Elderly Patients with Sarcopenia and Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Sarcopenia, the progressive loss of muscle mass and strength, greatly affects the elderly. Combined with cognitive impairment, it severely impairs physical function and quality of life. While personalized nutritional rehabilitation programs are proposed, their efficacy remains understudied. To evaluate the effects of individualized nutritional rehabilitation on clinical symptoms and prognosis in elderly patients with sarcopenia and cognitive impairment. This randomized controlled trial enrolled 96 patients with sarcopenia and cognitive impairment (March 2022-March 2023), randomly assigned to intervention (individualized nutritional rehabilitation plus standard care, n=48) or control groups (standard care only, n=48). Assessments included nutritional markers (hemoglobin, albumin, vitamin D), muscle strength (Medical Research Council scale), balance (Berg Balance Scale), physical performance (Short Physical Performance Battery), activities of daily living, grip strength, 5-times sit-to-stand test, 6-m walk speed, cognitive function (Montreal Cognitive Assessment), and quality of life pre- and post-intervention. Post-intervention, the intervention group showed significantly higher hemoglobin, albumin, vitamin D, and lower Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment scores (all p<0.05). They demonstrated superior improvements in upper/lower limb strength, Short Physical Performance Battery, Berg Balance Scale, Activities of Daily Living scores, grip strength, sit-to-stand time, and 6-min walk distance (all p<0.05). Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores improved more in the intervention group (25.3±3.2 vs 22.1±3.5, p<0.05). Quality of life improved significantly more in the intervention versus control group (p<0.05). Individualized nutritional rehabilitation effectively improves nutritional status, muscle strength, physical function, cognitive performance, and quality of life in elderly patients with sarcopenia and cognitive impairment.