Effect of amino acid-balanced diet-based nutritional-psychological intervention on muscle wasting and quality of life in cirrhosis patients

BACKGROUND Patients with liver cirrhosis often experience muscle wasting that significantly affects their quality of life. AIM To investigate the effects of comprehensive nutritional and psychological interventions based on an amino acid-balanced diet on muscle wasting and quality of life in patients with liver cirrhosis. METHODS A retrospective study of 130 patients with liver cirrhosis (May 2023 to June 2024) was divided into control (conventional treatment, n = 65) and observational groups (conventional + amino acid-balanced nutrition and psychological intervention, n = 65). Anxiety (Self-Rating Anxiety Scale), depression (Self-Rating Depression Scale), lower limb muscle strength, and quality of life (Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire) were assessed pre-intervention, and 3/6 months post-intervention. RESULTS At baseline, no significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of age, sex, etiology of cirrhosis, disease duration, disease severity, or any other measured outcome (P > 0.05). At 3 months and 6 months post-intervention, the observational group exhibited significantly lower Self-Rating Anxiety Scale and Self-Rating Depression Scale scores than the control group (P < 0.05), indicating reduced anxiety and depression as well as higher grip strength and increased lower limb muscle strength (P < 0.05). Additionally, the observational group demonstrated superior Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire scores across all domains, reflecting an improved quality of life (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION An amino acid-balanced diet and psychological intervention can effectively alleviate anxiety and depression and improve muscle strength and quality of life in patients with cirrhosis and are worthy of clinical promotion.