N-ICE Cream®

Over one million people in the UK over the age of 65 suffer from malnutrition, and 20% of these are hospital in-patients. In fact, 50% of older patients eat only half of the calories they need to aid recover whilst being treated in hospital. 

The consequences of this are severe – patients can suffer from reduced quality of life, increased risk of falls and mortality, delayed wound healing, infections and reduced functional status, among other poor outcomes. 

Professor Opinder Sahota, Consultant in Geriatric Medicine and Honorary Professor at Nottingham University Hospitals, noticed this issue and decided to look for an innovative solution to help his patients in Nottingham.

This has led to the development of Nottingham Ice Cream (N-ICE Cream®). This product is a nutritious muscle targeted high protein ice cream, specifically designed to address the serious problem of malnutrition and muscle weakness among older people. Protein is important for muscle and to help patients’ bodies recover, for instance, after musculoskeletal injuries sustained in a fall.  

Professor Sahota chose ice cream as a way of delivering the extra calories and protein, as this was popular with patients. Older people in hospital do not always finish their hospital meals, leading to wastage of food, and additional nutritional supplement drinks that are prescribed are not typically popular with all patients.