Determination of the UL of Leucine in Healthy Elderly Men

University of British Columbia

Status: Completed

Conditions: Elderly Men

Treatments: Dietary Supplement: Leucine intake

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02095080

H14-00235

Details and patient eligibility

About

Amino acid are the building blocks of the body's protein. Some amino acids, including leucine, cannot be made in the body and must be obtained from diet, these are called essential. With increase in age the body's muscle mass decrease and studies have suggested that dietary supplementation of leucine may have potential health benefits in elderly in regards to prevention of age related loss of lean muscle mass, and thus may help improve the quality of life in elderly.

Currently, a safe upper dietary intake level of leucine has not been established for healthy elderly. Prior to exploring whether leucine supplementation will prevent or decrease loss of lean muscle mass in elderly we propose to identify the upper intake of leucine in healthy elderly.

The purpose of this study is to determine the tolerable upper intake level (UL) of leucine in healthy elderly men (70 - 75 yrs)

The investigators hypothesize that with a careful graded stepwise increase in leucine intake in elderly men, above the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR - 50 mg/kg/d), the body's ability to oxidize/dispose of excess amino acids will reach a maximum. With increased leucine intakes we hypothesize an increase in plasma ammonia concentrations and increases in plasma leucine and urinary leucine excretion.

Enrollment: 6 patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 70 to 75 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Men 70 - 75 years of age
• Free of chronic diseases including; sarcopenia, heart disease, kidney disorders, liver disease, chronic high blood pressure and or diabetes.
• Free of any cognitive disorders
• Men not enrolled in any other research studies
• Men who are not claustrophobic

Exclusion criteria

• Men not within the age 70 -75 years
• Men diagnosed with a chronic diseases including; sarcopenia, heart disease, kidney disorders, liver disease, chronic high blood pressure and/or diabetes
• Men allergic to milk, eggs and egg protein
• Men who are claustrophobic
• Men who are currently enrolled in other research studies

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

---

6 participants in 1 patient group

Leucine intake

Experimental group

Description:

Dietary supplement: Leucine intake

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Leucine intake