Badrasawi M, Shahar Suzana, Zahara A M, Nor Fadilah R, Singh Devinder Kaur Ajit
Dietetic Programme, School of Healthcare Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Nutrition Program, Faulty of Applied Sciences, Palestine Polytechnic University, Hebron, Palestine.
Dietetic Programme, School of Healthcare Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Clin Interv Aging. 2016 Nov 17;11:1675-1686. doi: 10.2147/CIA.S113287. eCollection 2016.
Frailty is a biological syndrome of decreased reserve and resistance to stressors due to decline in multiple physiological systems. Amino acid deficiency, including L-carnitine, has been proposed to be associated with its pathophysiology. Nevertheless, the efficacy of L-carnitine supplementation on frailty status has not been documented. Thus, this study aimed to determine the effect of 10-week L-carnitine supplement (1.5 g/day) on frailty status and its biomarkers and also physical function, cognition, and nutritional status among prefrail older adults in Klang Valley, Malaysia.
This study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial conducted among 50 prefrail subjects randomized into two groups (26 in L-carnitine group and 24 in placebo group). Outcome measures include frailty status using Fried criteria and Frailty Index accumulation of deficit, selected frailty biomarkers (interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and insulin-like growth factor-1), physical function, cognitive function, nutritional status and biochemical profile.
The results indicated that the mean scores of Frailty Index score and hand grip test were significantly improved in subjects supplemented with L-carnitine (<0.05 for both parameters) as compared to no change in the placebo group. Based on Fried criteria, four subjects (three from the L-carnitine group and one from the control group) transited from prefrail status to robust after the intervention.
L-carnitine supplementation has a favorable effect on the functional status and fatigue in prefrail older adults.
衰弱是一种由于多个生理系统功能下降而导致储备能力降低和对应激源抵抗力下降的生物学综合征。包括左旋肉碱在内的氨基酸缺乏被认为与其病理生理学有关。然而，补充左旋肉碱对衰弱状态的疗效尚未得到证实。因此，本研究旨在确定为期10周的左旋肉碱补充剂（1.5克/天）对马来西亚巴生谷地区虚弱前期老年人的衰弱状态及其生物标志物、身体功能、认知和营养状况的影响。
本研究是一项随机、双盲、安慰剂对照的临床试验，在50名虚弱前期受试者中进行，随机分为两组（左旋肉碱组26人，安慰剂组24人）。观察指标包括使用弗里德标准评估的衰弱状态和衰弱指数累积缺陷、选定的衰弱生物标志物（白细胞介素-6、肿瘤坏死因子-α和胰岛素样生长因子-1）、身体功能、认知功能、营养状况和生化指标。
结果表明，与安慰剂组无变化相比，补充左旋肉碱的受试者的衰弱指数评分和握力测试平均得分显著改善（两个参数均<0.05）。根据弗里德标准，干预后有4名受试者（3名来自左旋肉碱组，1名来自对照组）从虚弱前期状态转变为强健状态。
补充左旋肉碱对虚弱前期老年人的功能状态和疲劳有积极影响。
