Combined Exercise and Nutrition Interventions Boost Physical Function in Nursing Home Residents

The rapid growth of aging populations worldwide has dramatically increased the number of older adults living in long-term care (LTC) facilities such as nursing homes. These settings present a concentrated opportunity to address two major drivers of functional decline in late life: physical inactivity and nutritional insufficiency. Lifestyle medicine — intervening on both simultaneously — holds promise for preserving healthspan in this vulnerable population.

This systematic review, conducted according to PRISMA guidelines, searched PubMed and Scopus through December 2024 to identify trials of combined lifestyle interventions in LTC residents aged 65 and older. From 3,093 initial records, seven studies met inclusion criteria. Interventions combined resistance training, balance exercises, or multicomponent physical programs with nutritional supplementation or dietary education, and ranged in duration from 7 to 26 weeks.

The majority of studies reported meaningful improvements in physical functionality, specifically gait speed, grip or lower-limb strength, and balance — all critical predictors of fall risk, independence, and mortality in older adults. When interventions included protein- and energy-enriched nutritional supplements, nutritional status also improved. Effects on quality of life were less consistent, varying across measurement tools and intervention types.

For clinicians and care facility administrators, these findings reinforce that even relatively short multimodal programs can produce measurable functional gains in frail, institutionalized older adults. Resistance training paired with adequate protein intake appears to be a particularly potent combination for preserving muscle mass and mobility.

Key caveats temper enthusiasm: only seven studies met inclusion criteria, and substantial heterogeneity in study design, intervention protocols, duration, and outcome measures limits the ability to draw firm conclusions or issue specific prescriptions. High-quality, standardized, longer-duration trials with harmonized outcome measures are urgently needed to confirm effectiveness and guide implementation at scale.