BCAA Supplemental Study

NCT03339232 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 210050
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 26
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief 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

Conditions

Cirrhosis

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Muscle Mass

  Appendicular lean muscle mass will be measured by whole body DXA using a standard protocol.

  12 weeks

Study Arms (3)

Usual Care

NO INTERVENTION

Participants will receive standardized information about a healthy diet, including the potential benefit of small, frequent meals and nighttime snacking . In addition, the treating hepatologist will counsel participants on the benefits of increased physical activity. These recommendations will be provided at the beginning of the study. The usual care arm reflects current clinical practice. Participants will be asked to keep an exercise log detailing type and duration of at home physical activity.

BCAA Supplement

OTHER

BCAA powder (Bulk Supplements®) will be provided as the powder was found to be easier to swallow. 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. BCAA will be provided by the study investigators and half will be provided at baseline study visit and the second half at the week 6 visit. In addition, the treating hepatologist will provide standardized information about the potential benefits of small, frequent meals, nighttime snacking and increased physical activity at the beginning of the study. Participants will be asked to keep an exercise log detailing type and duration of at home physical activity.

Dietary Supplement: BCAA Supplement

BCAA supplement plus supervised physical activity

OTHER

BCAA supplement will be as described for group 2, above. Study coordinators will supervise the physical activity program for study participants at the Loyola Fitness Center. Participants will attend the fitness center one hour each week; the fitness session will consist of low-impact aerobic physical activity, beginning with walking on the indoor track and possibly building to a recumbent exercise bicycle and light resistance training. Participants will be given a list of exercises to perform at home at least two times during the week with a goal of \>90 minutes of physical activity per week. Participants will be asked to keep an exercise log detailing type and duration of at home physical activity which they will return during the weekly fitness center sessions. In addition, the treating hepatologist will provide standardized information about the potential benefits of small, frequent meals, nighttime snacking and increased physical activity at the beginning of the study.

Dietary Supplement: BCAA Supplement; Other: Physical Activity

Interventions

BCAA Supplement DIETARY_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.

BCAA Supplement; BCAA supplement plus supervised physical activity

Physical Activity OTHER

Supervised low impact aerobic physical activity for one hour each week.

BCAA supplement plus supervised physical activity

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Cirrhosis with ascites
• MELD-Na score\<25

You may not qualify if:

• Pregnancy
• Inability to engage in low-intensity physical activity due to any condition
• Active acknowledged alcohol or substance abuse
• Inability to complete protocol assessments.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Loyola University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Loyola University Medical Center

Maywood, Illinois, 60153, United States

Location

Related Publications (10)

• 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.

  PMID: 25291348 BACKGROUND

• 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. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199908193410802.

  PMID: 10451460 BACKGROUND

• 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. doi: 10.1002/hep.20466.

  PMID: 15565570 BACKGROUND

• 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.

  PMID: 19098851 BACKGROUND

• Darmon N, Drewnowski A. Does social class predict diet quality? Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 May;87(5):1107-17. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/87.5.1107.

  PMID: 18469226 BACKGROUND

• 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. doi: 10.1542/peds.2005-0058.

  PMID: 16452361 BACKGROUND

• 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.

  PMID: 19840246 BACKGROUND

• 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.

  PMID: 23996808 BACKGROUND

• 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. No abstract available.

  PMID: 24990106 BACKGROUND

• 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.

  PMID: 23489325 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Fibrosis

Interventions

Exercise

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Model Details: Participants are randomized into one of three arms

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 8, 2017
• First Posted: November 13, 2017
• Study Start: October 2, 2017
• Primary Completion: June 17, 2019
• Study Completion: June 17, 2019
• Last Updated: June 24, 2020

Record last verified: 2020-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)