Beta-alanine and Elder Endurance

University of Miami

Status: Completed

Conditions: Physical Endurance

Treatments: Behavioral: Muscular endurance exercise; Dietary Supplement: Placebo; Dietary Supplement: Beta-alanine

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02821481

20140412

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose for this study is to determine if beta-alanine supplementation combined with endurance-based resistance training can increase gains in muscular endurance to a greater extent than endurance-based resistance-training alone in older adults.

Enrollment: 27 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 60 to 90 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 60-90 years of age
• Living independently (not residing in an assisted living facility)
• Through testing are found not to have sarcopenia
• Gait speed > 1 m/s
• Skeletal Muscle Index > 37% in men and > 27.6 % in women
• Exclusion Criteria
• Responding with a "yes" to any question on the PAR-Q.
• Are currently pregnant, or plan to try and become pregnant during the study
• Functional impairments that could impede the person's ability to participate in a resistance training program
• Current or recent use of supplements (within the past 3 months for non-alanine containing supplements or one year for supplements containing beta-alanine). Individuals taking only basic multivitamins (without any herbal co-ingredients) may still be allowed to participate. These situations will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
• Are currently enrolled in a regular exercise program (more than once per week)
• Current or recent smoker
• Use of medication containing corticosteroids
• Mini-mental score of 21 or below
• Severe musculoskeletal impairment
• Uncontrolled chronic disease
• Major depression
• Severe vestibular problems

Exclusion criteria

• Adults unable to consent
• Individuals who are not yet adults (infants, children, teenagers)
• Pregnant women
• Prisoners

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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27 participants in 4 patient groups, including a placebo group

Beta-alanine and muscular endurance exercise

Experimental group

Description:

Receive 3.2 g/day beta-alanine and 3 days per week of endurance resistance training for 12 weeks

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Beta-alanine

Behavioral: Muscular endurance exercise

Beta-alanine without muscular endurance training

Experimental group

Description:

Receive 3.2 g/day beta-alanine with no endurance resistance training for 12 weeks

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Beta-alanine

Placebo and muscular endurance exercise

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Receive similar dextrose placebo and 3 days per week of endurance resistance training for 12 weeks

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Placebo

Behavioral: Muscular endurance exercise

Placebo without muscular endurance training

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Receive similar dextrose placebo with no endurance resistance training for 12 weeks

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Placebo