LETTER
Protein Supplements after Osteoporotic Hip Fracture
Karen G. Kelly, MD
15 December 1998 | Volume 129 Issue 12 | Pages 1075-1076
TO THE EDITOR:
Schurch and colleagues are to be congratulated on their randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of long-term protein supplementation after hip fracture, especially in light of the paucity of such trials [1]. Unfortunately, the authors do not provide information on the caloric and protein intake of the intervention and control groups after the fracture. Before the fracture, protein intake seems to have been adequate (45.0 to 51 g/d in a group with an average weight of 61 kg is equivalent to 0.73 to 0.83 g/kg of body weight per day). Exact comparisons are not given for intake after the fracture, but the authors do state in their discussion that the intake of unsupplemented protein was 40 g. This suggests that the control group decreased their protein intake after the fracture, possibly because of supplemental calories received via a protein-free drink. Thus, there may actually have been two interventions: one in the protein-supplemented group, which had an increase in protein intake from 45 to 60 g, and one in the control group, which had a decrease in protein intake from 50 to 40 g. Clarification of this issue would be appreciated.
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Author and Article Information
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Philadelphia Geriatric Center; Philadelphia, PA 19141
1. Schurch MA, Rizzoli R, Slosman D, Vadas L, Vergnand P, Bonjour JP. Protein supplements increase serum insulin-like growth factor-I levels and attenuate proximal femur bone loss in patients with recent hip fracture. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 1998; 128:801-9.
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