Preparing for surgery often focuses on the procedure itself, but new research suggests what happens before an operation may also shape recovery. A new systematic review and meta-analysis of 23 randomized controlled trials found that structured prehabilitation programs, especially those centered on exercise or nutrition, were linked to fewer postoperative complications and shorter hospital stays.
The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, reviewed more than 2,100 patients across a range of surgical specialties. It did not show that any one diet, supplement or exercise plan guarantees better outcomes for every patient. Instead, it suggests that improving physical readiness before surgery through targeted support may meaningfully improve recovery, particularly for higher-risk patients.
Across the studies analyzed, prehabilitation programs were associated with a 48% reduction in postoperative complications and an 11% shorter hospital stay overall compared with standard care. Exercise-based programs were linked to the largest drop in complications, while nutrition-focused programs were associated with somewhat greater reductions in length of stay.
That distinction matters because “prehabilitation” was not a single intervention. Programs varied widely, ranging from supervised strength or interval training to short-term nutrition plans that often included specialized supplements aimed at supporting immune function or recovery. In other words, this was not evidence that simply eating healthier for a few days before surgery will cut risk in half.
Still, the findings reinforce a broader idea that nutrition and physical resilience may play an important role before major medical stress. For some patients, especially older adults or those already at elevated surgical risk, improving protein intake, nutritional status or physical conditioning beforehand may help support recovery.
Researchers also found that exercise-based programs were linked to improvements in quality of life and daily functioning, though they did not significantly improve emotional health or pain outcomes after surgery.
The authors noted important limitations. The included studies used different protocols, involved different surgeries and varied in duration from a few days to several months, making it difficult to identify exactly which approaches work best for which patients.
The practical takeaway is not to self-prescribe supplements or intense workout plans before surgery. Rather, it may be worth discussing nutrition status, physical conditioning and recovery preparation with a health care team well before a scheduled procedure.
As medicine increasingly focuses on prevention, this research suggests recovery may begin before a patient ever enters the operating room.
This study was supported by the Bernard G. Sarnat Endowment for Craniofacial Biology, the Jean Perkins Foundation and the National Center for Advancing Translational Science at the National Institutes of Health through UCLA.