Research Results on Dietary Fiber-Containing Whey Peptide Digested Liquid Diet Presented at STROKE 2026

At STROKE 2026*1, held in Osaka from March 12 to 14, 2026, Dr. Naohide Kurita of the Department of Neurology at Juntendo University Urayasu Hospital presented research findings on the "Administration of Enteral Nutrition Containing Highly Fermentable Dietary Fiber in Acute Ischemic Stroke." This study was conducted as a specified clinical research*2 under the Clinical Research Act. Nestlé Japan Ltd., Nestlé Health Science Company (Headquarters: Kobe, Hyogo; Company President: Akihiro Nakajima), provided research funding based on a clinical research agreement with Juntendo University Urayasu Hospital (the company was not involved in the planning, implementation, or presentation of this study).

Nestlé Health Science aims to continue providing nutritional solutions to address customer and societal challenges based on scientific evidence. Moving forward, the company will continue to contribute to the development of nutritional therapy through research activities and academic presentations, while providing products, services, and information based on scientific evidence.

*1 A collective term for the joint conference of the 51st Annual Meeting of the Japan Stroke Society, the 55th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Stroke Surgery, and the 42nd SAH/Spasm Symposium. The theme of this conference was "Challenge to Overcome Stroke: Prospects for the Next 10 Years." It is a comprehensive academic meeting where experts from various fields gather to discuss the latest research results in stroke medicine, advances in surgery and endovascular treatment, applications of telemedicine and digital health, and rehabilitation.

*2 Information regarding this study is registered in the Clinical Research Submission and Publication System.

https://jrct.mhlw.go.jp/latest-detail/jRCTs031230208

Utility of Dietary Fiber-Containing Whey Peptide Digested Liquid Diet in Acute Stroke

Research Background

In the acute phase of stroke, it has been reported that abnormalities in the gut microbiota (dysbiosis) and a decrease in short-chain fatty acids occur, which are associated with increased systemic inflammation and poor prognosis. However, the effects of early administration of highly fermentable dietary fiber in the acute phase on gastrointestinal tolerance and neurological outcomes had not been sufficiently verified.

Research Methods

In this study, patients with acute ischemic stroke were randomly assigned to two groups within 72 hours of admission to avoid bias in patient background, and enteral nutrition was administered for 14 days using a nasogastric tube.

The intervention group received a dietary fiber-containing whey peptide digested liquid diet, while the control group received a standard enteral nutrition formula without water-soluble dietary fiber.

The primary endpoint was the incidence of diarrhea during the 14 days from the start of administration, evaluated using the Bristol Stool Scale. As secondary endpoints, in addition to the occurrence of watery stools (corresponding to Bristol Stool Scale 7), neurological changes were evaluated using the NIHSS (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale), an index for assessing the neurological severity of stroke.

Research Results

No difference in the incidence of diarrhea was observed between the two groups. However, in the intervention group, the number of days and frequency of watery stools occurring 8 to 14 days after administration were significantly reduced compared to the control group.

Furthermore, while the control group showed a tendency for the NIHSS to worsen, the intervention group showed a tendency to maintain or improve, suggesting the possibility of suppressing neurological deterioration.

Detailed analysis of this study, including gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acid analysis, is currently underway.