PD445 - EFFECTS OF PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTATION ON FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY IN STROKE REHABILITATION: A COMPREHENSIVE BAYESIAN STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

PD445

EFFECTS OF PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTATION ON FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY IN STROKE REHABILITATION: A COMPREHENSIVE BAYESIAN STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

S. Suzuki^1,*, K. Mio¹, K. Yoshida¹, A. Otsuka², E. Kurata², S. Kinoshita¹, T. Hamaguchi³, S. Eun^1,4, M. Abo¹

¹Rehabilitation Medicine, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, ²Nutrition, Koyama Rehabilitation Hospital, Shizuoka, ³Graduate School of Health Science, Saitama Prefectural University, Saitama, ⁴Rehabilitation Medicine, Koyama Rehabilitation Hospital, Shizuoka, Japan

Rationale: Protein supplementation may enhance functional recovery in stroke rehabilitation through mechanisms involving muscle protein synthesis and neuroplasticity. However, the comparative effectiveness of different protein sources remains unclear.This study aimed to evaluate the effects of soy protein versus casein protein supplementation, compared with standard care, on functional recovery outcomes in stroke rehabilitation using Bayesian statistical methods.

Methods: A three-group comparative study was conducted with 66 stroke patients undergoing inpatient rehabilitation (soy protein: n=22, casein protein: n=22, control: n=22). The primary outcome was Functional Independence Measure (FIM) gain. Secondary outcomes included changes in body composition parameters and biochemical markers. Bayesian analysis was performed using normal prior distributions, with Bayes factors calculated to quantify the strength of evidence and credible intervals for effect estimation across all three group comparisons.

Results: Soy protein supplementation demonstrated moderate evidence of superiority over the control group for FIM gain (mean difference: 9.05 points, 95% credible interval: -0.04 to 18.13, Bayes factor BF₁₀ = 3.903, Cohen's d = 0.588). Casein protein showed weak evidence of benefit compared to the control group (mean difference: 4.50 points, BF₁₀ = 1.672, Cohen's d = 0.252). The comparison between soy and casein proteins showed weak evidence favoring soy (mean difference: 4.55 points, BF₁₀ = 1.699, Cohen's d = 0.256).

Conclusion: Bayesian analysis provides moderate evidence that soy protein supplementation enhances functional recovery in stroke rehabilitation with medium effect size compared to standard care. Casein protein showed minimal benefits. The results support the preferential integration of soy protein supplementation in comprehensive stroke rehabilitation protocols.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared