Nutritional therapy in the management of physical frailty and sarcopenia

Abstract

Sarcopenia and frailty are frequent in liver cirrhosis and are associated with a worse prognosis. For this reason, and being potentially modifiable disorders, to find a strategy to prevent or improve these conditions is of great importance in cirrhotic patients. To date, there are no standardized treatments to reverse or prevent the deterioration of nutritional status and physical frailty in patients with liver cirrhosis. However, nutritional intervention and individual counseling to achieve adequate amounts of calories and proteins are recommended. Oral nutritional supplementations with BCAA or leucine or beta-hydroxy-beta-methyl butyrate combined with exercise training are promising measures, but more studies are needed to define the best way and time to operate with these approaches.