- 25 grams of Protein
- High in Leucine and Glutamine to decrease muscle loss after surgery
- Loaded with Vitamins important for surgical recovery
- Made at a NSF certified facility
- The Surgical Nutritional Kit is HSA/FSA eligible
- Gluten Free
- Non-denatured protein
- Produced in USA
Contains:
- 1, 3, or 6 month supply of OptiFuel
- 3 packs of OptiCharge
- Branded shaker bottle
- OptiFuel contains enhanced protein and specific vitamins that are scientifically proven to promote healing and improve recovery after surgery
- Once per day packet
- Mix one packet with 12-16 oz of water, milk, or non-dairy milk
- Shake in provided blender bottle for 30 seconds until dissolved
- Ideally begin taking 1-2 weeks prior to surgery to prepare for surgery
- Continue for at least 2-3 weeks after, and up to 6 months after surgery
- 28 Optifuel packets are included per monthly package
- OptiCharge is a complex carbohydrate drink that is consumed just prior to surgery to combat the biochemical stress associated with surgery
- Drink just prior to bed the night before surgery
- 3 Opticharge packets are included in each order
BACKED BY SCIENCE
Are you or a loved one having surgery? Our products are formulated for the unique needs of surgical patients. Prepare properly, enhance outcomes, and get back to your life!
CREATED BY DOCTORS
Dr. Patrick Denard
View Bio
What Type Of Surgery Benefits?
Evidence shows that nutrition is important in nearly all types of surgery
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Most people overestimate their health and underestimate the importance of nutrition in
recovering from surgery. Surgery places increased demands on the body. If you want to improve your recovery and reduce risk, nutritional optimization can be beneficial. Several studies have evaluated nutritional status prior to surgery and found large deficits.
Here are some stats:
- Approximately 50% of people undergoing elective (planned) surgery have nutritional
deficiency. Reference
- The rate is 90% in those undergoing bariatric (stomach) surgery. Reference
- Even among athletes ages 8-18 the prevalence of risk factors is 67%! Reference -
Broadly speaking, nutrition optimization (the core being protein supplementation and a pre-surgical carbohydrate drink) has been shown to improve speed of recovery, reduce
complications, lower pain, and lower length of hospital stay. Conversely, studies do not find a detriment to protein supplementation or a carbohydrate drink. Even people with diabetes have been shown to benefit from a pre-surgical carbohydrate drink for instance. Said another way, there are no apparent downsides of nutritional optimization which is why we advocate it for all
surgeries. -
This is a very common problem! There are several reasons. First, surgeons get only very basic education about nutrition in medical school. They do not receive any education on nutrition in residency. They are taught to think about surgery alone. Second, most surgeons are under significant time pressures with decreased reimbursement and thus don’t take the time to discuss nutrition.
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At a high-level data has shown the following with nutritional optimization:
Spine surgery – less pain and high rate of fusion
Joint replacement – quicker recovery and better outcomes 2 years after surgery
Trauma – lower complications and faster recovery
Shoulder – nutrition is more important than tear size and age in healing
Foot and ankle - Vitamin D has been associated with lower union
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Several studies have shown that nutrition plays a role in outcomes after gastrointestinal
surgery. One of the issues with surgery on the gastrointestinal tract is limited caloric intake
after surgery. Therefore, there is a larger need to offset with high quality protein. Data has
shown the importance on nutrition on stomach surgery, pancreas surgery, and colorectal
surgery.
Gastric surgery references
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39706719/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39501291/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36867644/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33158590/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27885532/
Colorectal surgery references:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41430-024-01509-6
https://www.dovepress.com/impact-of-glutamine-enhanced-parenteral-nutrition-on-
postoperative-out-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-CMAR
https://bmcgastroenterol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12876-024-03510-6
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/codi.17261?af=R -
In a study from Korea, patients with nutritional risk factors had increased mortality over a follow-up period of an average of 4.5 years. Specifically, mortality rates of 10.2% (220/2,158), 22.7% (543/2,395), and 35.3% (273/774) were observed in the low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups, respectively. Interestingly, 59% of patients were intermediate or high risk of nutritional deficiency which shows that nutritional deficiency is common in patients undergoing
heart surgery. ReferenceEnhanced recovery protocols for cardiac surgery recommend optimizing nutrition and
consuming a carbohydrate drink the night prior to surgery. Reference -
Eating well after oral surgery can be difficult. Data indicates that protein supplementation leads to lower weight loss after oral surgery. Reference
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The association between nutrition and outcomes after plastic surgery has not been well-studied. However, at a basic science level it would make sense that nutritional optimization can improve outcomes. Protein and vitamins are the building blocks for wound healing. Additionally, studies in other fields have shown that nutritional optimization improves wound healing.
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