Peer-reviewed article
Effect of oral nutritional supplements on outcomes in children presenting with, or at risk of, faltering growth in clinical settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
A L Cawood, C Smith, F J Kinnear, L Upton, S Trace et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This systematic review examined whether giving oral nutritional supplements to children with faltering growth or at risk of it makes a difference. The analysis of ten randomised controlled trials involving over 1100 children found that children receiving supplements gained significantly more weight and height than those who did not. Compliance with the supplements was very high at 98%, and there were also signs of fewer infections in the supplement group. The evidence supports using these supplements to help children with faltering growth.
Key points
- Children receiving oral nutritional supplements gained an average of 0.4 kg more weight than control group
- Children receiving supplements gained 0.3 cm more height than control group
- Mean compliance to prescribed supplement dose was 98%
- Data suggested an association between supplement use and reduced infections
- Weighted mean supplement intake was 412 kcal and 16.3 g protein daily for 116 days
Limitations
The review does not specify which countries the included trials were conducted in, limiting understanding of generalisability to different settings. The review notes that further research is needed on optimal dosage and effects on other outcomes beyond growth and infections.
Abstract
This systematic review summarises evidence regarding oral nutritional supplement (ONS) use in children with, or at risk of, faltering growth (FG). Ten randomised controlled trials (RCTs), compared changes in outcomes amongst children receiving ONS versus control were included. Overall, 1116 children (weighted mean (WM) age 5 years; n658 (59%) male) were recruited, of which 585 (52%) received ONS (WM intake contribution 412 kcal, 16.3 g protein, 395 ml) for 116 days (WM). ONS use was associated with significantly greater gains in weight (mean difference (MD) 0.4 kg, 95% CI [0.36, 0.44]) and height (MD 0.3 cm, 95% CI [0.03, 0.57]), likely related to improvements in nutritional intake. Mean compliance to prescribed dose was 98%. Data suggested an association between ONS use and reduced infections. Further research is warranted to establish ONS dosage and effects upon other outcomes. This review provides evidence to support use of ONS in the management of children with, or at risk of, FG.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Oral nutritional supplements (ONS) providing approximately 412 kcal and 16.3 g protein daily
- Population
- 1116 children with faltering growth or at risk of it, weighted mean age 5 years, 59% male
Key finding
Weight gain 0.4 kg greater in ONS group (95% CI [0.36, 0.44])