Why Use Ensure Pre-Surgery? A Guide to Optimized Recovery

December 13, 2025 •

3 min read

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 50 million surgical procedures are performed annually in the United States, most requiring a period of fasting. To combat the negative effects of this fasting period, a pre-operative carbohydrate drink like Ensure Pre-Surgery is often recommended. By following a pre-surgery nutrition plan, patients can help prepare their bodies for the stress of an operation and promote a better recovery.

Quick Summary

This guide explains the physiological benefits of consuming a carbohydrate-rich drink before surgery, detailing how it helps reduce stress-induced insulin resistance, improves patient comfort, and can lead to a more efficient and faster recovery.

Key Points

Reduces Surgical Stress: Ensure Pre-Surgery's carbohydrate load helps prevent the body from entering a severe catabolic state during an operation.
Minimizes Postoperative Insulin Resistance: Preoperative carbohydrate loading helps reduce the insulin resistance that often occurs after surgery, leading to better glucose control.
Shortens Hospital Stays: Patients using this drink as part of an ERAS protocol have demonstrated reduced hospital length of stay.
Enhances Patient Comfort: The drink helps mitigate common side effects of fasting like hunger, thirst, and anxiety before the procedure.
Supports Faster Recovery: By providing nutritional support and reducing surgical stress, it contributes to overall enhanced recovery and may decrease complications.
Meets Fasting Guidelines: The clear, fat-free formulation meets American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) guidelines for pre-operative fasting.

Understanding the Need for Pre-Surgical Nutrition

Surgery places an immense amount of stress on the body, triggering a natural inflammatory response that can lead to insulin resistance and a catabolic state. Traditionally, patients were instructed to fast for extended periods, but research has shown this can worsen the body’s metabolic state. An approach called Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) has changed this, emphasizing proactive nutritional and medical strategies to help patients before, during, and after an operation. A key component of ERAS is preoperative carbohydrate loading, which is where a product like Ensure Pre-Surgery comes into play.

The Science Behind Preoperative Carbohydrate Loading

Drinking a clear, carbohydrate-rich beverage like Ensure Pre-Surgery a few hours before an operation helps to fill the liver's glycogen stores, which are depleted during prolonged fasting. By providing this readily available energy source, the body can avoid entering a deep catabolic state and better manage the stress of surgery. This practice has been shown to offer several tangible benefits to patients:

Reduces Insulin Resistance: Surgical stress increases stress hormones that cause insulin resistance. Preoperative carbohydrate loading helps minimize this effect, leading to better blood sugar control post-surgery.
Decreases Postoperative Complications: Better metabolic control and a strengthened immune response can help lower the risk of complications such as infections and poor wound healing.
Shortens Hospital Stays: Clinical studies have demonstrated that patients who undergo preoperative carbohydrate loading often experience shorter hospital stays compared to those who follow traditional fasting protocols.
Improves Patient Comfort: Many patients report feeling less hungry, anxious, and thirsty before surgery when they consume a carbohydrate drink.
Reduces Nausea and Vomiting: A well-managed metabolic state can also help decrease the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), a common and unpleasant side effect.

How Ensure Pre-Surgery Fits into Your Plan

Ensure Pre-Surgery is a clear carbohydrate beverage designed specifically for preoperative use and is compatible with ERAS protocols. It is fat-free, gluten-free, and contains a specific amount of carbohydrates (usually 50g) and antioxidants like zinc and selenium to support recovery.

Guidelines for Usage:

The night before surgery: Patients typically drink two bottles of Ensure Pre-Surgery before bed, within the fasting window prescribed by their doctor.
The morning of surgery: One bottle is consumed up to two hours before the scheduled surgery or hospital arrival time.
Sipping is key: It should be consumed over 5-10 minutes, rather than quickly, to aid gastric emptying and prevent discomfort.

Comparative Analysis: Ensure Pre-Surgery vs. Traditional Fasting


Feature	Ensure Pre-Surgery Protocol	Traditional Overnight Fasting
Preparation	Involves a clear, carbohydrate-rich drink up to 2 hours before surgery.	Requires abstaining from all food and drinks from midnight.
Metabolic State	Maintains an anabolic state by replenishing glycogen stores.	Promotes a catabolic, stress-induced state.
Energy Levels	Provides a ready source of complex carbohydrates for energy.	Burns through stored glycogen and starts breaking down muscle.
Insulin Response	Reduces the severity of postoperative insulin resistance.	Leads to increased insulin resistance.
Patient Comfort	Decreases feelings of hunger, thirst, and anxiety.	Commonly results in feelings of hunger and thirst.
Recovery Time	Associated with shorter hospital stays and faster recovery.	Potentially prolonged recovery and higher complication rates due to metabolic stress.

Important Considerations and Contraindications

While beneficial for many, Ensure Pre-Surgery is not for everyone. It should only be used under the guidance of a healthcare professional. Individuals with certain conditions must avoid it. Your doctor will provide specific instructions and review your medical history before recommending this product.

Conclusion

For many patients, optimizing nutrition before a surgical procedure is a powerful way to prepare the body for the stress of the operation and promote a faster, more comfortable recovery. Ensure Pre-Surgery, as part of an evidence-based Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol, helps to combat the negative metabolic effects of fasting by providing essential carbohydrates and antioxidants. This strategic nutritional support can lead to numerous benefits, including reduced insulin resistance, decreased postoperative nausea, and shorter hospital stays. Always consult with your healthcare provider to ensure that preoperative nutritional drinks are the right choice for your specific needs.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult with your healthcare provider for personalized recommendations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ensure Pre-Surgery is a clear, carbohydrate-rich beverage designed to be consumed before an operation. It's used as part of an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol to provide the body with energy, reduce the stress response to surgery, and improve recovery outcomes.

Patients are typically instructed to drink two bottles the night before surgery and one bottle the morning of surgery, up to two hours before the procedure or hospital arrival. Specific timing should always be confirmed with your doctor.

Diabetic patients, especially those with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, should not use Ensure Pre-Surgery unless specifically directed by their healthcare provider and under strict medical supervision. The carbohydrate content can affect blood sugar levels.

Yes, many patients report that drinking the preoperative carbohydrate beverage helps them feel less hungry and thirsty during the fasting period before surgery, significantly improving comfort.

Most people tolerate the drink well, but some may experience mild gastrointestinal discomfort, such as bloating, gas, or nausea. These side effects are generally transient.

By minimizing insulin resistance and reducing surgical stress, Ensure Pre-Surgery helps create an optimal metabolic environment for healing. This can lead to a faster recovery and shorter hospital stays.

Ensure Pre-Surgery is not for everyone. Contraindications include galactosemia, diabetes without medical clearance, gastroparesis, and a BMI over 39. Patients on Ozempic or other GLP-1 agonists, those with severe GERD, or those with known allergies to ingredients (like strawberries) should also avoid it.