Research

Hormonal

Preoperative oral administration of carbohydrate-rich drinks (with or without peptides) reduces postoperative insulin resistance and preserves quadriceps muscle strength compared to traditional overnight fasting.

If you are having major abdominal surgery, ask your medical team if you can drink a specific carbohydrate-rich drink the night before and the morning of your surgery (stopping 3 hours before anesthesia). This is not water; it is a specific medical drink designed to reduce surgical stress and help you keep your muscle strength after the operation. This practice is increasingly common in enhanced recovery protocols.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
This study demonstrated a significant decrease in glycogen synthase activity... in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery preceded by overnight fasting. This decrease could be reduced by giving preoperative carbohydrate-rich drinks. This might have clinical importance for muscle function, as demonstrated by the fact that patients receiving the CHO-rich drinks before surgery had a smaller reduction in their quadriceps muscle strength after the operation than those in the CO group.
M. G. Henriksen et al. · Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica · 2003

Why this rating

Randomized controlled trial with 48 patients, clear intervention groups, and objective biochemical and functional measures.

Source

Effects of preoperative oral carbohydrates and peptides on postoperative endocrine response, mobilization, nutrition and muscle function in abdominal surgery

M. G. Henriksen et al. · Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica · 2003

DOI 10.1034/j.1399-6576.2003.00047.x

rct · n=48Cited 228×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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