Keeping weight steady after tube feeding may help ALS survival
WHY IT MATTERS
If you or a loved one with ALS is considering or has started tube feeding, this research suggests that working with your care team to maintain steady weight—not just calorie intake—could potentially extend survival.
A study of 121 people with ALS found that those who kept their weight more stable after starting tube feeding lived longer. This was true even if they weren't eating a lot of calories when they first started the tube feeding. The finding suggests that preventing weight loss after tube feeding may help people with ALS live longer.
Maintaining body weight after starting enteral nutrition, or tube feeding, may help extend survival in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a study in Japan suggests. In an analysis of 121 patients, those with smaller weight declines after starting tube feeding lived significantly longer, regardless of calorie intake at the time tube feeding began, suggesting “the […] The post Keeping weight steady after tube feeding may help ALS survival appeared first on ALS News Today .
ASK YOUR DOCTOR
Discuss with your ALS care team how to monitor and maintain weight after starting tube feeding, and ask whether weight stability should be a specific goal alongside calorie targets.