Exercise-nutrition prehabilitation attenuates lean body mass loss before gastrectomy: a randomized controlled trial

Older patients undergoing gastrectomy frequently exhibit sarcopenia and reduced physiologic reserve, increasing vulnerability to perioperative muscle loss. However, randomized evidence supporting multimodal exercise-nutrition prehabilitation in gastric cancer surgery remains limited. This trial evaluated whether prehabilitation attenuates preoperative lean body mass (LBM) loss and explored subgroups with greater benefit.

In this single-center, open-label randomized controlled trial, patients aged ≥ 65 years with resectable gastric adenocarcinoma scheduled for curative gastrectomy were randomized 1:1 to standard care or multimodal prehabilitation. The intervention included daily walking, resistance training, and β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate supplementation. The primary endpoint was change in LBM from baseline to preoperative assessment. Secondary endpoints included physical function and postoperative outcomes. Prespecified subgroup and exploratory adherence analyses were conducted.

Of 110 randomized patients, 101 were analyzed (control, n = 52; prehabilitation, n = 49). Mean (SD) change in LBM was - 0.3 (1.2) kg in controls and 0.1 (1.0) kg with prehabilitation, yielding a mean difference of 0.4 kg (95% CI, 0.02-0.86; P = 0.043). Physical function and postoperative outcomes did not differ between groups. Greater LBM preservation was observed in women and in patients with lower baseline C-reactive protein or skeletal muscle index. Higher resistance training adherence was associated with greater LBM gain.

Multimodal exercise-nutrition prehabilitation modestly preserved preoperative LBM in elderly gastrectomy patients but did not improve functional or postoperative outcomes. Risk-enriched trials are needed to determine whether targeted prehabilitation improves clinically meaningful endpoints.