Impact of Adding Protein Supplementation to Exercise Training on Lean Body Mass and Muscle Strength in Burn Patients

Protein catabolism is a common complication after burn injury, leading to a loss of muscle mass and a decrease in muscle strength. The present study was aimed to evaluate the efficacy of combining exercise training with protein supplementation on lean body mass and muscle strength in patients with severe burn. Sixty participants with severe burn >30% of TBSA were randomly distributed into four equal groups of 15 participants per group. Group A (Exercise and Protein) received oral protein supplementation (Inkospor X-TREME; 1.5-2.0 g/kg/d), exercise program, and traditional burn care; group B (Protein) received oral protein supplementation and traditional burn care; group C (Exercise) received exercise program and traditional burn care; and group D (Control) received traditional burn care. Lean body mass was measured using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, whereas muscle strength was measured using Biodex 3 Dynamometer System before treatment and 12 weeks after treatment. A significant increase in lean body mass was found in group A compared with that of group B, group C, and group D post-treatment (P < .001). Also, a significant increase was recorded in peak torque of group A compared with that of group B, group C, and group D post-treatment (P < .001). Exercise training can significantly increase lean body mass and peak torque. Protein supplementation can significantly increase lean body mass but cannot significantly increase muscle strength, whereas protein + exercise group has a great impact on lean body mass and muscle power than exercise group and protein group in burn patients.