The Feed or Ordinary Diet (FOOD) Trials to assess Feeding Policy for Patients with Stroke
Institution:Western General Hospital, Edinburgh.
Principal Investigator:
Professor Martin Dennis
Country: Scotland
Grant value: £180,000 over 81 months
Start date: April 1999
Status: complete
Many people have problems swallowing and feeding when they have had a stroke. Doctors tend to disagree on the best way to feed patients following stroke so a number of different methods are currently used. These can include adding nutritional supplements to the hospital diet, and introducing various types of tube feeding at different stages. Following a successful pilot study funded by The Stroke Association, the FOOD trial (Feed Or Ordinary Diet) was further developed as the largest ever multi-centre international trial researching feeding policy for stroke patients. The trial aims to identify the best way of feeding stroke patients by establishing which methods lead to the best chance of recovery. The progress of 9,000 patients, who are being fed in different ways, will be monitored. Finding the most effective method should benefit all stroke patients in the future.
Scientific Title: A multicentre randomised trial to evaluate various feeding policies in patients admitted to hospital with a recent stroke - Feed or Ordinary Diet - (FOOD)
Press Release 29.06.05 - Early tube feeding reduces deaths in stroke patients with swallowing difficulties
Classification:
Acute Stroke Service, Stroke Unit Care
Publications:
The FOOD Trial Collaborators, Dennis M. Effect of timing and method of enteral tube feeding for dysphagic stroke patients (FOOD): a multicentre randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2005; 365: 764-72.
The FOOD Trial Collaboration, Dennis M. Routine oral nutritional supplementation for stroke patients in hospital (FOOD): a multicentre randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2005; 365: 755-63.
Dennis M, Cranswick G, Fraser A, Grant S, Gunkel A, Hunter J, Lewis S, Perry D, Soosay V, Williamson A, Young A. Performance of a Statistical Model to Predict Stroke Outcome in the Context of a Large, Simple, Randomized, Controlled Trial of Feeding. Stroke 2003; 34: 127-133.
The FOOD Trial Collaboration, Dennis M. Poor Nutritional Status on Admission Predicts Poor Outcomes After Stroke. Stroke 2003; 34: 1450-1456.
