The effects of amino acid/protein supplementation in patients undergoing hemodialysis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Abstract

We evaluated the efficacy of the intervention consisting of amino acid/protein supplementation on muscle mass, muscle strength and physical function in patients on hemodialysis. This systematic review and meta-analysis identified potential studies through a systematic search of 4 electronic databases and references from eligible studies from database inception to August 2020. We included only randomized controlled trials reporting the efficacy of amino acid/protein supplementation on muscle mass, muscle strength and physical function in patients on hemodialysis. Of 6529 unique citation records, 4 studies including 243 participants were selected for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Although there were no significant differences in muscle mass and muscle strength between the intervention and control groups, amino acid/protein supplementation was shown to significantly improve physical function (shuttle walk, MD 32.7, 95% CI 21.7 to 43.7, P<0.001; gait speed, MD 0.07, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.13, P=0.02; timed up and go, MD -0.42, 95% CI -0.68 to-0.15, P=0.002) in patients on hemodialysis. We confirmed the positive effect of amino acid/protein supplementation on physical function in people undergoing hemodialysis. However, there is still insufficient evidence, and more rigorously designed randomized controlled trials with high quality are needed.