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Review
. 2022 Mar 25;15(1):e3.
doi: 10.12786/bn.2022.15.e3. eCollection 2022 Mar.

Nutritional Supplementation in Stroke Rehabilitation: A Narrative Review

Sung-Hwa Ko  1   2 , Yong-Il Shin  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Nutritional Supplementation in Stroke Rehabilitation: A Narrative Review

Sung-Hwa Ko et al. Brain Neurorehabil. .

Abstract

Malnutrition is associated with increased mortality and poor functional recovery after stroke. Most guidelines for stroke rehabilitation strongly recommend nutritional screening for malnutrition. Nutritional status after stroke is related to long-term outcomes, and nutritional supplementation is recommended for stroke patients with malnutrition and those at risk of malnutrition. However, routine nutritional supplementation in stroke patients, regardless of nutritional status, is not correlated with improved functional outcomes, and nutritional supplementation is not recommended if the nutritional status is adequate. Nutritional supplementation with protein, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals positively affects recovery after stroke, with improvements seen in motor function, cognition, activities of living, and mood. However, the evidence is insufficient due to the small number of studies and the lack of well-designed randomized controlled studies. Therefore, nutritional supplementation for stroke patients in rehabilitation should not be uniform, and individual nutritional interventions based on an assessment of the patient's nutritional status should be provided.

Keywords: Dietary Supplements; Malnutrition; Nutritional Status; Rehabilitation; Stroke.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: The first and corresponding authors of this manuscript are the editors of Brain & NeuroRehabilitation. The authors did not engage in any part of the review and decision-making process for this manuscript.

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