L-serine and Strength Training in the Elderly

NCT07466290 | Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: 0139110.55776/PIN359
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 126
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study investigates whether taking the amino acid L-serine, either alone or in combination with targeted strength training, can have a positive effect on mental performance, brain function, and physical fitness in older people. Healthy, independent women and men aged 65 to 85 are eligible to participate. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: placebo, L-serine, or L-serine combined with strength training. Cognitive tests, physical performance tests, and blood and brain tests will be conducted over a period of 48 weeks. The aim is to gain a better understanding of how nutrition and exercise can contribute to healthy aging.

Conditions

Brain Health; Longevity; Cognitive Performance; Strength Training Effects; Healthy Ageing; Ageing; Cognition; Memory; Muscle Strength

Keywords

Healthy Ageing; Brain ageing; Older adults; L-serine supplementation; Resistance training; Cognitive function; Cognitive ageing; Memory; Hippocampus; Magnetic resonance imaging; Electroencephalography; Brain connectivity; Muscle strength; Synaptic plasticity

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in cognitive performance measured by the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS)

  Global cognitive performance will be assessed using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), a standardized neuropsychological test battery that evaluates multiple cognitive domains including memory, attention, language, and visuospatial abilities. The primary outcome is the RBANS Total Scale Index score, which summarizes performance across the RBANS cognitive domains. RBANS index scores are standardized scores with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15, typically ranging from approximately 40 to 160. Higher scores indicate better cognitive performance.

  Baseline, 18 weeks and 48 weeks of intervention

Secondary Outcomes (30)

• Change in cognitive domain performance measured by index scores of RBANS

  Baseline, 18 weeks and 48 weeks of intervention

• Change in hippocampal volume measured by magnetic resonance imaging (mm³)

  Baseline and 48 weeks of intervention

• Change in hippocampal functional connectivity measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging

  Baseline and 48 weeks of intervention

• Change in oscillatory brain activity measured using electroencephalography

  Baseline, 18 weeks and 48 weeks of intervention

• Change in hippocampal neurometabolite concentrations measured using single voxel magnetic resonance spectroscopy

  Baseline, 18 weeks and 48 weeks of intervention

Study Arms (3)

L-serine and strength training

EXPERIMENTAL

The L-serine and training group (LSERTRAIN) receives an L-serine supplement at a dose of 6 g/day over the entire study period (48 weeks).

Behavioral: Strength training; Dietary Supplement: L-serine supplementation

L-serine supplementation

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

The L-serine group (LSER) receives an L-serine supplement at a dose of 6 g/day over the entire study period (48 weeks).

Dietary Supplement: L-serine supplementation

Control

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

The control group (PLA) receives a placebo (cornstarch) throughout the entire study period (48 weeks)

Dietary Supplement: Control (cornstarch)

Interventions

Strength training BEHAVIORAL

Structured strength training 2x/week

L-serine and strength training

L-serine supplementation DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

L-serine supplementation 6g/day

L-serine and strength training; L-serine supplementation

Control (cornstarch) DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Placebo 6g cornstarch/day, No strength training

Control

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 65 Years - 85 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Men and women between the ages of 65 and 85
• Mini-Mental-State \>23
• Independently mobile, without aids (walker, cane, etc.)

You may not qualify if:

• Chronic diseases that contraindicate medical training therapy
• Regular strength training (\>1x/week) in the last 6 months before confinement
• Frailty Index ≥ 3
• Lack of written consent to test physical performance
• Regular use of Cortison-containing medications or Antibiotika
• Non-compliance with the study protocol: \<70% of the planned L-serine administration, \<70% of the strength training

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Vienna: lead
• Medical University of Vienna: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

NuTraLab

Vienna, Vienna, 1070, Austria

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Resistance Training; Starch

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Exercise Therapy; Rehabilitation; Aftercare; Continuity of Patient Care; Patient Care; Therapeutics; Physical Therapy Modalities; Physical Conditioning, Human; Exercise; Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena; Glucans; Biopolymers; Polymers; Macromolecular Substances; Dietary Carbohydrates; Carbohydrates; Polysaccharides

Central Study Contacts

Karl-Heinz Wagner, Prof.

CONTACT

+43-1-4277-54930; karl-heinz.wagner@univie.ac.at

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: QUADRUPLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Univ.-Prof. Dr.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 23, 2026
• First Posted: March 12, 2026
• Study Start: March 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2028
• Last Updated: March 12, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

AU (1)