Does Nutrition Intervention Prevent and Heal Pressure Injury? A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

This systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) sought to evaluate and summarize the impact of nutrition on healing and prevention of pressure injury (PI).

Randomized controlled trials were identified by searching Medline, ULAKBİM, PubMed, ProQuest, and Web of Science between 2002 and 2024.

This study was designed based on the systematic review of RCTs. Search terms included "pressure ulcers," "pressure wounds," "pressure injury" in combination with "nutrition" and "supplements."

The review was conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Of 1877 articles screened, 18 met the eligibility criteria. All studies were independently assessed by 2 researchers, and data were summarized using a standardized table.

Nutritional supplementation showed beneficial effects for both prevention and treatment. Prevention trials mainly evaluated protein, arginine, zinc, and antioxidant-enriched formulas, whereas treatment trials examined a wider range of products including collagen, ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate, fish oil, amino acid mixtures, and micronutrients. Overall, nutritional interventions appeared to enhance wound healing and reduce the incidence of new PIs. However, the strength of evidence was limited by small sample sizes, variability in interventions, and moderate methodological quality.

Across 18 studies including 1231 participants (aged 38 to 83 y) with stage 2 to 4 PIs, nutritional interventions demonstrated positive effects on prevention and healing. Formulas enriched with protein, arginine, zinc, antioxidants, and other nutrients appear promising; nonetheless, further large-scale, high-quality RCTs are needed to confirm these findings.