BCAA Supplemental Study

Cirrhosis Clinical Trial

Official title:

BCAA Supplemental Study: Branched Chain Amino Acid and Physical Activity to Improve Muscle Mass in Patients With Cirrhosis

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT03339232
• Other study ID #: 210050
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: October 2, 2017
• Est. completion date: June 17, 2019

Study information

• Verified date: June 2020
• Source: Loyola University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The central hypothesis of this study is that BCAA supplementation and BCAA supplementation plus low-intensity activity will improve muscle mass and HRQOL in cirrhotic patients compared to usual care

Description:

The purpose of this study is to look at the impact of including a physical activity program and/or a nutritional supplement along with your regular care. The nutritional supplement used in this study consists of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). BCAAs are found in certain foods and are readily available as dietary supplements.

The investigators in this study will look at how the physical activity and nutritional supplement program might affect patients' health outcomes, and if this program can maintain or even increase muscle mass in patients with cirrhosis.

Participants will be randomized in three groups:

1. Standard Care: If the participant is randomized to this group, they will receive the same medical care for their cirrhosis as they would if they were not participating in the study. The doctor will provide them with some general information about healthy diet and exercise. They will also be asked to keep an exercise log of the type of physical activity they do on your own.

2. Nutritional Supplement: BCAAs: If the participant is randomized to this group, they will be provided with BCAA powder to take during the 12 weeks of the study. They will be asked to take 7 teaspoons per day. They will take 2-3 teaspoons after each meal. The doctor will also provide them with some general information about healthy diet and exercise, and they will also be asked to keep an exercise log of any physical activity they do on your own.

3. Nutritional Supplement and Supervised Physical Activity: If the participant is randomized to this group, they will be provided with BCAA powder and be asked to participate in one hour per week of supervised fitness instruction at the Loyola Center for Fitness. The fitness instruction will consist of low-impact aerobic exercise such as walking or riding an exercise bicycle. They will also be given a list of exercises to perform at home at least two times during the week and be asked to keep an exercise log of their physical activity. The doctor will provide them with some general information about healthy diet and exercise.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 26
• Est. completion date: June 17, 2019
• Est. primary completion date: June 17, 2019
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Cirrhosis with ascites

2. MELD-Na score<25

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Pregnancy

2. Inability to engage in low-intensity physical activity due to any condition

3. Active acknowledged alcohol or substance abuse

4. Inability to complete protocol assessments.

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Cirrhosis
• Fibrosis
• Liver Cirrhosis

Intervention

Dietary Supplement:
• BCAA Supplement
Each teaspoon contains 1788 mg of BCAA and participants will take 7 teaspoons (12.5 grams of BCAA) per day divided into three separate servings. Each teaspoon contains L-leucine, isoleucine and valine in a 2:1:1 ratio.

Other:
• Physical Activity
Supervised low impact aerobic physical activity for one hour each week.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Loyola University Medical Center	Maywood	Illinois

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Loyola University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

References & Publications (10)

Alter MJ, Kruszon-Moran D, Nainan OV, McQuillan GM, Gao F, Moyer LA, Kaslow RA, Margolis HS. The prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in the United States, 1988 through 1994. N Engl J Med. 1999 Aug 19;341(8):556-62. — View Citation

Browning JD, Szczepaniak LS, Dobbins R, Nuremberg P, Horton JD, Cohen JC, Grundy SM, Hobbs HH. Prevalence of hepatic steatosis in an urban population in the United States: impact of ethnicity. Hepatology. 2004 Dec;40(6):1387-95. — View Citation

Darmon N, Drewnowski A. Does social class predict diet quality? Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 May;87(5):1107-17. Review. — View Citation

Gordon-Larsen P, Nelson MC, Page P, Popkin BM. Inequality in the built environment underlies key health disparities in physical activity and obesity. Pediatrics. 2006 Feb;117(2):417-24. — View Citation

Hayashi F, Matsumoto Y, Momoki C, Yuikawa M, Okada G, Hamakawa E, Kawamura E, Hagihara A, Toyama M, Fujii H, Kobayashi S, Iwai S, Morikawa H, Enomoto M, Tamori A, Kawada N, Habu D. Physical inactivity and insufficient dietary intake are associated with the frequency of sarcopenia in patients with compensated viral liver cirrhosis. Hepatol Res. 2013 Dec;43(12):1264-75. doi: 10.1111/hepr.12085. Epub 2013 Mar 12. — View Citation

Hong HC, Hwang SY, Choi HY, Yoo HJ, Seo JA, Kim SG, Kim NH, Baik SH, Choi DS, Choi KM. Relationship between sarcopenia and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: the Korean Sarcopenic Obesity Study. Hepatology. 2014 May;59(5):1772-8. doi: 10.1002/hep.26716. Epub 2014 Mar 24. — View Citation

Issa D, Alkhouri N, Tsien C, Shah S, Lopez R, McCullough A, Dasarathy S. Presence of sarcopenia (muscle wasting) in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Hepatology. 2014 Jul;60(1):428-9. doi: 10.1002/hep.26908. Epub 2014 May 27. Erratum in: Hepatology. 2015 Oct;62(4):1330. — View Citation

Kallwitz ER, Guzman G, TenCate V, Vitello J, Layden-Almer J, Berkes J, Patel R, Layden TJ, Cotler SJ. The histologic spectrum of liver disease in African-American, non-Hispanic white, and Hispanic obesity surgery patients. Am J Gastroenterol. 2009 Jan;104(1):64-9. doi: 10.1038/ajg.2008.12. — View Citation

Merli M, Giusto M, Gentili F, Novelli G, Ferretti G, Riggio O, Corradini SG, Siciliano M, Farcomeni A, Attili AF, Berloco P, Rossi M. Nutritional status: its influence on the outcome of patients undergoing liver transplantation. Liver Int. 2010 Feb;30(2):208-14. doi: 10.1111/j.1478-3231.2009.02135.x. Epub 2009 Oct 14. — View Citation

Scaglione S, Kliethermes S, Cao G, Shoham D, Durazo R, Luke A, Volk ML. The Epidemiology of Cirrhosis in the United States: A Population-based Study. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2015 Sep;49(8):690-6. doi: 10.1097/MCG.0000000000000208. — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Muscle Mass	Appendicular lean muscle mass will be measured by whole body DXA using a standard protocol.	12 weeks