SynthesisNutrients2025
The Effects of Protein Nutrition on Muscle Function in Critical Illness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Nutrients, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Personalized protein delivery in critical care: from phenotyping and endotyping to post-ICU recovery.Current opinion in critical care · 2026Review
- Amino Acids as Metabokines in Hypercatabolic States: Rethinking Nutritional Protein-Based Strategies Beyond Caloric Support.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Protein nutrition in the ICU: a Delphi exercise to highlight knowledge and opinions of different professional groups involved in patient critical care.BMC nutrition · 2026Article
- Risk Factors, Diagnostic Challenges, and Emerging Therapeutic Strategies for ICU-Acquired Weakness: A Brief Review.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2025Review
- Mapping the research landscape and evolving hotspots of intensive care unit-acquired weakness: a dual-database bibliometric analysis.Frontiers in neurologyReview
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundowing to altered protein metabolism during critical illness, skeletal muscles are utilised as a source of protein, with subsequent debilitating effects on both muscle structure and function. Protein nutrition has been shown to improve clinical outcomes in critically unwell patients; however, the impact on muscle function is less established. Therefore, the aim of this review was to systematically determine the effect of protein dose on skeletal muscle strength in critically ill patients.
methodswe searched five databases (Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, Emcare, CINAHL, and PubMed) and clinical trial registers for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of non-pregnant, adult patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU), which assessed the impact of different doses of protein nutrition on muscle strength. Studies investigating only muscle structure or with co-interventions were excluded. Six RCTs were eligible for inclusion, and five were suitable for meta-analysis.
resultsthere was a significant difference in skeletal muscle strength with higher versus lower protein intakes, with a mean difference of 2.36 kg (95% CI: 0.37-4.35). The mean difference in protein dose was 0.46 g/kg/d (95% CI: 0.29-0.64). Inconsistency was evident across the included studies, with risk of bias ranging from moderate to high.
conclusionmuscle strength of ICU patients does appear to be affected by different protein doses. However, trials focusing on muscle function are limited by number and quality, highlighting a clear need for future work.
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