Oral Branched-chain Amino Acid Supplementation for Cirrhotic Patients With Sarcopenia

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the nutritional parameters after 24-week supplementation of branched-chain amino acids in cirrhotic patients with low muscle mass. The main questions it aims to answer are: Is there the differences in the proportions of cirrhotic patients recovering from low muscle mass at 24 weeks among cirrhotic patients with low muscle mass who received BCAA supplementation and the placebo group? Is there the differences in the change of skeletal muscle index (SMI) measured by abdominal computed tomography (CT) at 24 weeks among cirrhotic patients with low muscle mass who received BCAA supplementation and the placebo group? Is there changes in other indices related to low muscle mass, including appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM), ASM/height\^2, handgrip strength, and 6-meter walk speed at 24 weeks among cirrhotic patients with low muscle mass who received BCAA supplementation and the placebo group? Is there changes in the liver frailty index (LFI), consisting of handgrip strength, chair stands, and balance, at 24 weeks among cirrhotic patients with low muscle mass who received BCAA supplementation and the placebo group? Is there changes in serum albumin levels, at 24 weeks among cirrhotic patients with low muscle mass who received BCAA supplementation and the placebo group? Is there changes in severity of liver disease, including the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease-Sodium Score (MELD-Na score), Child-Turcotte-Pugh score, and liver stiffness measured by transient elastography at 24 weeks among cirrhotic patients with low muscle mass who received BCAA supplementation and the placebo group? Participants will be asked to do following tasks: Participants will be asked for basic information such as age, place of residence, and contact phone number. Participants will undergo measurements of body weight, height, body mass index (BMI), muscle mass, and body fat content using a body composition analyzer, a total of 2 times (at the beginning and end of the research), and an upper abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan without additional radiation exposure, only once (at the end of the research) throughout the study. Participants will be tested for muscle function, including handgrip strength, a 6-meter walk test, chair stands, and balance, all performed twice (at the beginning and end of the research). Laboratory testing will include a complete blood count, liver and kidney function, blood clotting function, mineral levels, cholesterol, and glucose. Blood will be drawn a total of 2 times (at the beginning and end of the research) during the study, with each blood draw approximately 15 milliliters (1 tablespoon). Transient elastography will be performed twice (at the beginning and end of the research) during the study, with each Transient elastography taking approximately 10 minutes. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the group receiving branched chain amino acid (BCAA) medication or the placebo group, and you will take the assigned medication twice daily for a total of 24 weeks. Participants will receive dietary and exercise recommendations from the research team and nutritionists in a group format, taking approximately 1 hour. Participants will have follow-up appointments to monitor your condition three times during the study, at weeks 4, 12, and 24. These appointments will include inquiries about side effects from medication and placebo use, exercise, and dietary intake, each lasting approximately 30 minutes. Participants will be asked to take photos of your daily meals for 3 days before meeting with the physician at weeks 4 and 12, to provide data for assessing your calorie intake. Participants can send these meal images via the online application, prepared by our research team. If participants are unable to do so, participants will be asked to keep a food diary and report your food and portion sizes to the research team.

Timeline

Start

2023-11-15

Primary completion

2026-06-30

Completion

2026-06-30

Publications

• Background Charatcharoenwitthaya P, Tansakul E, Chaiyasoot K, Bandidniyamanon W, Charatcharoenwitthaya N. Dietary Composition and Its Association with Newly Diagnosed Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Insulin Resistance. Nutrients. 2021 Dec 11;13(12):4438. doi: 10.3390/nu13124438.
• Background Sirisunhirun P, Bandidniyamanon W, Jrerattakon Y, Muangsomboon K, Pramyothin P, Nimanong S, Tanwandee T, Charatcharoenwitthaya P, Chainuvati S, Chotiyaputta W. Effect of a 12-week home-based exercise training program on aerobic capacity, muscle mass, liver and spleen stiffness, and quality of life in cirrhotic patients: a randomized controlled clinical trial. BMC Gastroenterol. 2022 Feb 14;22(1):66. doi: 10.1186/s12876-022-02147-7.
• Background European Association for the Study of the Liver. EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines on nutrition in chronic liver disease. J Hepatol. 2019 Jan;70(1):172-193. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2018.06.024. Epub 2018 Aug 23.
• Background Guralnik JM, Simonsick EM, Ferrucci L, Glynn RJ, Berkman LF, Blazer DG, Scherr PA, Wallace RB. A short physical performance battery assessing lower extremity function: association with self-reported disability and prediction of mortality and nursing home admission. J Gerontol. 1994 Mar;49(2):M85-94. doi: 10.1093/geronj/49.2.m85.
• Background Fried LP, Tangen CM, Walston J, Newman AB, Hirsch C, Gottdiener J, Seeman T, Tracy R, Kop WJ, Burke G, McBurnie MA; Cardiovascular Health Study Collaborative Research Group. Frailty in older adults: evidence for a phenotype. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2001 Mar;56(3):M146-56. doi: 10.1093/gerona/56.3.m146.
• Background Jaruvongvanich V, Thamtorawat S, Saiviroonporn P, Pisanuwongse A, Siriwanarangsun P. Sarcopenia as a Predictive Factor for Recurrence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Following Radiofrequency Ablation. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2023 Apr 1;24(4):1143-1150. doi: 10.31557/APJCP.2023.24.4.1143.
• Background Mohta S, Anand A, Sharma S, Qamar S, Agarwal S, Gunjan D, Singh N, Madhusudhan KS, Pandey RM, Saraya A. Randomised clinical trial: effect of adding branched chain amino acids to exercise and standard-of-care on muscle mass in cirrhotic patients with sarcopenia. Hepatol Int. 2022 Jun;16(3):680-690. doi: 10.1007/s12072-022-10334-7. Epub 2022 Apr 25.
• Background Siramolpiwat S, Limthanetkul N, Pornthisarn B, Vilaichone RK, Chonprasertsuk S, Bhanthumkomol P, Nunanan P, Issariyakulkarn N. Branched-chain amino acids supplementation improves liver frailty index in frail compensated cirrhotic patients: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Gastroenterol. 2023 May 15;23(1):154. doi: 10.1186/s12876-023-02789-1.
• Background Hernandez-Conde M, Llop E, Gomez-Pimpollo L, Fernandez Carrillo C, Rodriguez L, Van Den Brule E, Perello C, Lopez-Gomez M, Abad J, Martinez-Porras JL, Fernandez-Puga N, Ferre C, Trapero M, Fraga E, Calleja JL. Adding Branched-Chain Amino Acids to an Enhanced Standard-of-Care Treatment Improves Muscle Mass of Cirrhotic Patients With Sarcopenia: A Placebo-Controlled Trial. Am J Gastroenterol. 2021 Nov 1;116(11):2241-2249. doi: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000001301.
• Background Gluud LL, Dam G, Les I, Marchesini G, Borre M, Aagaard NK, Vilstrup H. Branched-chain amino acids for people with hepatic encephalopathy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017 May 18;5(5):CD001939. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001939.pub4.
• Background Tajiri K, Shimizu Y. Branched-chain amino acids in liver diseases. Transl Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2018 Jul 30;3:47. doi: 10.21037/tgh.2018.07.06. eCollection 2018.
• Background Soeters PB, Fischer JE. Insulin, glucagon, aminoacid imbalance, and hepatic encephalopathy. Lancet. 1976 Oct 23;2(7991):880-2. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(76)90541-9.
• Background Zenith L, Meena N, Ramadi A, Yavari M, Harvey A, Carbonneau M, Ma M, Abraldes JG, Paterson I, Haykowsky MJ, Tandon P. Eight weeks of exercise training increases aerobic capacity and muscle mass and reduces fatigue in patients with cirrhosis. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2014 Nov;12(11):1920-6.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2014.04.016. Epub 2014 Apr 24.
• Background Roman E, Torrades MT, Nadal MJ, Cardenas G, Nieto JC, Vidal S, Bascunana H, Juarez C, Guarner C, Cordoba J, Soriano G. Randomized pilot study: effects of an exercise programme and leucine supplementation in patients with cirrhosis. Dig Dis Sci. 2014 Aug;59(8):1966-75. doi: 10.1007/s10620-014-3086-6. Epub 2014 Mar 6.
• Background Krell RW, Kaul DR, Martin AR, Englesbe MJ, Sonnenday CJ, Cai S, Malani PN. Association between sarcopenia and the risk of serious infection among adults undergoing liver transplantation. Liver Transpl. 2013 Dec;19(12):1396-402. doi: 10.1002/lt.23752. Epub 2013 Oct 21.
• Background Tantai X, Liu Y, Yeo YH, Praktiknjo M, Mauro E, Hamaguchi Y, Engelmann C, Zhang P, Jeong JY, van Vugt JLA, Xiao H, Deng H, Gao X, Ye Q, Zhang J, Yang L, Cai Y, Liu Y, Liu N, Li Z, Han T, Kaido T, Sohn JH, Strassburg C, Berg T, Trebicka J, Hsu YC, IJzermans JNM, Wang J, Su GL, Ji F, Nguyen MH. Effect of sarcopenia on survival in patients with cirrhosis: A meta-analysis. J Hepatol. 2022 Mar;76(3):588-599. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2021.11.006. Epub 2021 Nov 14.
• Background Li AA, Kim D, Ahmed A. Association of Sarcopenia and NAFLD: An Overview. Clin Liver Dis (Hoboken). 2020 Sep 4;16(2):73-76. doi: 10.1002/cld.900. eCollection 2020 Aug. No abstract available.
• Background Therakomen V, Petchlorlian A, Lakananurak N. Prevalence and risk factors of primary sarcopenia in community-dwelling outpatient elderly: a cross-sectional study. Sci Rep. 2020 Nov 11;10(1):19551. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-75250-y.
• Background Cruz-Jentoft AJ, Bahat G, Bauer J, Boirie Y, Bruyere O, Cederholm T, Cooper C, Landi F, Rolland Y, Sayer AA, Schneider SM, Sieber CC, Topinkova E, Vandewoude M, Visser M, Zamboni M; Writing Group for the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2 (EWGSOP2), and the Extended Group for EWGSOP2. Sarcopenia: revised European consensus on definition and diagnosis. Age Ageing. 2019 Jul 1;48(4):601. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afz046. No abstract available.
• Background Luengpradidgun L, Chamroonkul N, Sripongpun P, Kaewdech A, Tanutit P, Ina N, Piratvisuth T. Utility of handgrip strength (HGS) and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) in the diagnosis of sarcopenia in cirrhotic patients. BMC Gastroenterol. 2022 Mar 30;22(1):159. doi: 10.1186/s12876-022-02236-7.
• Background Nishikawa H, Shiraki M, Hiramatsu A, Moriya K, Hino K, Nishiguchi S. Japan Society of Hepatology guidelines for sarcopenia in liver disease (1st edition): Recommendation from the working group for creation of sarcopenia assessment criteria. Hepatol Res. 2016 Sep;46(10):951-63. doi: 10.1111/hepr.12774.
• Background Santilli V, Bernetti A, Mangone M, Paoloni M. Clinical definition of sarcopenia. Clin Cases Miner Bone Metab. 2014 Sep;11(3):177-80.

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