Dietary Advice with or without Oral Nutritional Supplements for Disease-Related Malnutrition in Adults

This Cochrane review evaluates the effectiveness of dietary advice (DA), with or without oral nutritional supplements (ONS), in managing disease-related malnutrition in adults. The analysis of 94 randomized controlled trials (10,284 participants) reveals that while DA and ONS can improve weight gain and energy intake in the short term, their impact on mortality, hospital stays, and complications is inconsistent. DA combined with ONS shows slight improvements in weight and quality of life after 3 to 6 months. However, low-certainty evidence highlights the need for further research to determine long-term benefits and address patient-centered outcomes.

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