While dairy was “jam-packed with nutrients” and already part of the daily dietary plan in hospitals, Van Schaik said its high protein content also played an important role in maintaining muscle mass.
“When we get older, or when we are sick, the body starts consuming more of the muscle mass to get the energy available and that impacts your muscle mass and the muscle function in a negative way.”
“However, research has shown that the higher your muscle mass, the better the health outcomes, after and during hospitalisation are.”
This led to fewer complications, infections and shorter hospital stays, van Schaik explained.
Exercise was a well-known way to build and maintain muscle mass but that was often not an option for elderly people or people who were ill, she said.
“Even when you can exercise, it does really help to consume a lot of protein too - and that’s where dairy fits in.”
Van Schaik said dairy was a great way to help build muscle mass because it was full of very high-quality protein sources and also widely available.
However, a normal glass of milk might not deliver the levels of protein needed to support recovery and this was where oral nutrition supplements came in, van Schaik said.
“I like to describe them as supercharged dairy beverages - they have way more nutrients and also in a smaller volume.”
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These supplements contain 3 to 4.5 times more proteins than a standard serving of milk.
“That really helps you to increase your protein intake during the day.”
Van Schaik said research showed these types of high-protein beverages supported the disease pathway, as better muscle mass related to better treatment results.
“So that all together really shows that dairy can play a huge role in better patient management.
“For us at Fonterra [that is] the reason to create solutions, together with manufacturers all around the globe, to support patients in their journey towards health.”
