Amino Acid-Based Enteral Nutrition Enhances Postoperative Recovery in Colorectal Cancer Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This randomized controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of an amino acid-based enteral nutrition (AAEN) formula within an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol for colorectal cancer surgery patients. Sixty patients were randomized to an AAEN group (n = 20), a short-peptide-based enteral nutrition (SP) group (n = 20), or a conventional nutrition (CON) group (n = 20). Primary outcomes were nutritional status, recovery indicators, complications, and inflammatory markers. On postoperative day 7, the AAEN group had significantly higher serum albumin (35.5 ± 2.9 g/L) and prealbumin (225 ± 38 mg/L) than the SP and CON groups (p < 0.01). Time to first flatus was shorter in the AAEN group (38.2 ± 5.8 h) than the SP (43.5 ± 6.9) and CON (52.1 ± 7.8) groups (p < 0.01). The AAEN group also had a shorter hospital stay (7.6 ± 1.3 days), lower complication rate (15.0%), and more favorable inflammatory and immune markers (p < 0.01). Perioperative AAEN enhances recovery, improves nutritional status, reduces complications, and modulates inflammatory and immune responses, supporting its integration as a preferred nutritional strategy within ERAS protocols.