Leucine Supplementation Strategies to Enhance Muscle Anabolic Responses in Older Age

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM · Aug 21, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how leucine, a specific type of protein, can help older men build and maintain muscle mass after exercise. As we age, our muscles don’t respond as well to exercise and protein intake, which can lead to a loss of strength and muscle size, a condition known as sarcopenia. The researchers want to find out the best time to take leucine—either with a meal or between meals—after exercise to see which method is most effective for increasing muscle mass in older adults.

To participate in this study, you need to be a healthy male aged 65 to 75 years, with a Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18 and 28. You should not be a smoker or regularly doing resistance exercise. If you qualify and decide to join, you will be asked to follow specific instructions about your diet and exercise during the trial. It’s important to know that there are certain health conditions that would exclude you from participating, such as heart problems, diabetes, or recent steroid use. This study is currently looking for volunteers, so if you meet the criteria and are interested, you could contribute to important research on muscle health in older age.

Gender

MALE

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Male, 65-75 years of age
• • BMI 18-28 kg/m2
• • Non smoker
• • Not performing regular resistance type exercise
• • Participant is willing and able to give informed consent for participation in the study
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • A BMI \<18 or \>28 kg·m-2
• • Active cardiovascular disease: uncontrolled hypertension (BP \> 160/100), angina, heart failure (class III/IV), arrhythmia, right to left cardiac shunt or recent cardiac event
• • Cerebrovascular disease: previous stroke, aneurysm (large vessel or intracranial)
• • Respiratory disease including pulmonary hypertension or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• • Metabolic disease: hyper and hypo parathyroidism, untreated hyper and hypothyroidism, Cushing's disease, types 1 or 2 diabetes (treated and untreated), inborn/ congenital errors of metabolism (e.g. phenylketonuria (PKU), galactosaemia)
• • Active inflammatory bowel disease
• • Acute infection
• • Acute or chronic renal disease
• • Malignancy (or history of malignancy with 5 y)
• • Recent steroid treatment (within 6 mo), or hormone replacement therapy
• • Coagulopathy
• • Musculoskeletal or neurological disorders
• • Known allergies to any of the product ingredients
• • Having taken part in a research study in the last 3 months involving invasive procedures or an inconvenience allowance