Abstract: Treating sarcopenia in older individuals remains a challenge, and nutritional interventions\npresent promising approaches in individuals that perform limited physical exercise. We assessed\nthe efficacy of leucine administration to evaluate whether the regular intake of this essential amino\nacid can improve muscle mass, muscle strength and functional performance and respiratory muscle\nfunction in institutionalized older individuals. The study was a placebo-controlled, randomized,\ndouble-blind design in fifty participants aged 65 and over (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT03831399).\nThe participants were randomized to a parallel group intervention of 13 weeksâ?? duration with a daily\nintake of leucine (6 g/day) or placebo (lactose, 6 g/day). The primary outcome was to study the\neffect on sarcopenia and respiratory muscle function. The secondary outcomes were changes in\nthe geriatric evaluation scales, such as cognitive function, functional impairment and nutritional\nassessments. We also evaluated whether leucine administration alters blood analytical parameters and\ninflammatory markers. Administration of leucine was well-tolerated and significantly improves some\ncriteria of sarcopenia in elderly individuals such as functional performance measured by walking\ntime (p=0.011), and improved lean mass index. For respiratory muscle function, the leucine-treated\ngroup improved significantly (p=0.026) in maximum static expiratory force compared to the\nplacebo. No significant effects on functional impairment, cognitive function or nutritional assessment,\ninflammatory cytokines IL-6, TNF-alpha were observed after leucine administration compared to the\nplacebo. The use of l-leucine supplementation can have some beneficial effects on sarcopenia and\ncould be considered for the treatment of sarcopenia in older individuals.
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