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BACKGROUND: undernourishment is common in elderly hip fracture patients and has been linked to poorer recovery and increased post-operative complications. OBJECTIVE: to determine whether a nutritional supplement may (i) help elderly patients return to pre-fracture functional levels 6 months post-fracture and (ii) decrease fracture-related complications and mortality. DESIGN: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. SETTING: a county hospital near Barcelona. SUBJECTS: 171 patients, aged 70 and older, hospitalized for hip fracture between July 1994 and July 1996. METHODS: we randomized patients to intervention (n = 85) or control (n = 86) group. Patients received a nutritional supplement containing 20 g of protein and 800 mg of calcium or placebo for 60 days. We determined functional levels by the Barthel index, the mobility index and by the use of walking aids. We performed …