Can tailored shakes help seniors bounce back from trauma?
NCT ID NCT05544162
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This pilot study tested whether a personalized nutrition plan using up to three Ensure shakes a day is practical for older adults (60+) recovering from a serious injury. Forty participants were randomly assigned to either the nutrition plan or standard care. The study did not measure recovery but focused on whether such a plan could be used in a future larger trial.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Ensure shakes (oral nutrition supplement)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could pave the way for a larger study testing whether personalized nutrition helps older adults recover faster after a serious injury.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study (40 people) focused only on whether the plan is practical, not on health outcomes. It may not lead to any proven benefit.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
-
40 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Jan 2023
- Finished
-
Jul 2024
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
60 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients who are at least 60 years old and admitted to the trauma service * Patients who have had a standard of care CT scan Exclusion Criteria: * Expected withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment within 48 hours * Prisoners * Unable to provide informed consent * Non-English speakers * Traumatic Brain Injury * Allergic to milk or soy ingredients (Common allergen in Ensure shakes). * Pregnancy
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Duke University Hospital
Durham, North Carolina, 27710, United States
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