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Protein is essential for maintaining muscle mass, supporting immune function, tissue repair, metabolic processes, and recovery during illness. As a HCP, you are likely to encounter patient groups with increased protein needs, including older adults, critically ill patients, individuals with cancer, and those at risk of malnutrition. However, meeting protein requirements in clinical practice can often be challenging due to reduced appetite, anabolic resistance, illness-related catabolism, or difficulties achieving adequate intake through food alone. Emerging evidence highlights the importance of not only protein quantity, but also protein quality, amino acid composition, digestibility, and the timing of protein delivery in supporting recovery and functional outcomes. This page brings together practical resources designed to help you better understand evolving protein recommendations, protein quality in medical nutrition, and personalised approaches to protein support across different patient populations.
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Protein delivery is a central component of nutritional support in critically ill patients, particularly in preserving muscle mass and supporting long-term recovery. As a HCP working with ICU patients, balancing adequate protein provision with individual patient tolerance and metabolic demands remains a significant clinical challenge. This expert discussion explores the latest evidence from large ICU protein dosing trials, including emerging findings that very high protein intakes may not improve outcomes for all critically ill patients and could potentially be harmful in some populations. The resource highlights the growing shift towards more individualised protein targets, the importance of functional recovery and quality of life outcomes, and the need to consider factors such as disease phase, renal replacement therapy, and rehabilitation status when determining protein strategies.
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Ageing is associated with a progressive loss of muscle mass and strength, often referred to as sarcopenia, which can significantly affect mobility, independence, recovery, and overall quality of life. As a HCP, understanding the impact of anabolic resistance and reduced protein intake in older adults can help you better support healthy ageing and functional outcomes. This educational resource explores how higher protein intakes, leucine-rich proteins, resistance exercise, and personalised nutritional strategies may help support muscle protein synthesis and reduce muscle loss in older patients. It also examines the role of protein quality, plant versus dairy proteins, and the importance of combining nutrition with physical activity to maximise muscle function and recovery.
Not all protein sources are nutritionally identical, and protein quality plays an important role in meeting the metabolic and recovery needs of patients. As a HCP, understanding the differences in amino acid composition, digestibility, and protein quality between dairy and plant proteins can help support more informed nutritional decisions in clinical practice. This practical guide explains how protein quality is measured, the role of essential and conditionally essential amino acids, and why both protein quantity and quality matter in medical nutrition. It also highlights how oral nutritional supplements and tube feeds containing dairy and/or plant proteins can help patients meet increased protein requirements while supporting individual lifestyle preferences and clinical needs.
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