Clinical trial NCT05679596: Exogenous Ketosis During Bed Rest in Older Adults
Official title: Ketone Bodies as Therapeutic Agents to Reduce the Harmful Effects of Bed Rest on Muscle Mass and Metabolic Health in Older Adults
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Muscle Protein Synthesis
Muscle Atrophy
Insulin Sensitivity
Mitochondrial Function
Physical Inactivity
Cognitive Function
Muscle Strength
Functional Capacity
Keywords: Bed rest
Muscle protein synthesis
Older adults
Muscle mitochondrial function
Insulin sensitivity
Ketone bodies
Lead sponsor: McGill University
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
First posted: 2023-01-11
Enrollment: 30
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 65
Maximum age (years): 85
Standard ages: OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: Randomized, double-blind, parallel group study design.
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: The goal of this randomized, double-blind, parallel group interventional study is to evaluate the effect of ketone bodies on healthy older adults (65-85 y) during 5 days of bed rest. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does supplementation of ketone bodies prevent the typical decline in muscle protein synthesis, muscle size, muscle function, insulin sensitivity, and muscle mitochondrial function that occurs in response to bed rest?

Researchers will compare ketone supplements (KET) to an energy matched control beverage (carbohydrates and fats) to see if the ketones can rescue the decline in muscle protein synthesis rates, muscle loss, muscle function, insulin sensitivity, and mitochondrial function due to 5 days of bed rest.

This may positively impact the heath of older adults subjected to bed rest.

Detailed description: Bed rest is a common feature of many clinical environments such as hospitals and long-term care facilities. However, physical inactivity due to bed rest decreases muscle size, muscle strength, and physical performance (i.e. rising from a chair) that can lead to a reduced quality of life and a higher risk of disease and death. Eating protein-rich foods and exercising normally helps to maintain muscle size by building proteins found in muscle. However, during bed rest there is a reduction in the rate at which proteins found in muscle are made and this leads to smaller muscles. Bed rest leads to problems with blood glucose regulation and insulin resistance which can increase the risk for diabetes. Both the loss of muscle size and insulin resistance are linked to problems with parts of our cells called mitochondria. Mitochondria do a lot of important things including keeping our cells full of energy. Bed rest occurs more frequently in older adults and also negatively impacts their health more than in younger adults. Sadly, there are limited options to prevent the problems associated with bed rest. Ketone bodies are molecules that come from fat that are normally produced in the body in response to reduced carbohydrate intake (i.e. a ketogenic diet). Recently ketone supplements have become available, which increase the amount of ketone bodies in the body without the need to limit carbohydrate intake from food. Elevated ketone bodies may help protect muscle size and health during bed rest by enhancing the process of building muscle proteins, improving blood glucose regulation, and helping mitochondria work optimally.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Healthy, male, and female, older adults.
* Healthy will be defined as screen by the 2020 PAR-Q+, medical screening questionnaire, GAQ, and COVID-19 symptom questionnaire patient screening.
* 'Older' will be defined as being 65-85 years of age.
* Participants are required to not engage in structured resistance training for at least 6 months prior to participation in the study.
* Participants are willing to abide by the compliance rules of this study.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Pre-menopausal females: Women must be postmenopausal having not menstruated for at least 1 year prior to study participation. Hormonal fluctuations associated with the menstrual cycle have been reported to alter protein metabolism and may influence indices of muscle protein synthesis and breakdown (69-71).
* BMI \<18.5 or \> 30 kg ∙ m-2.
* Self-reported regular tobacco use and vaping products.
* Self-reported illicit drug use (e.g., growth hormone, testosterone, etc.)
* Individuals who have participated in studies within the past year involving a stable isotope of 2H.
* A history of thrombosis, diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus by physician or HbA1c values of \> 7.0%, dementia, coronary artery disease, musculoskeletal/orthopedic disorders, and severe allergies.
* The use of medications known to modulate skeletal muscle metabolism (e.g., corticosteroids, hormone replacement therapy, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, metformin).
* The use of over-the-counter supplements (protein supplements, creatine, fish oil).
* Inability to adhere to any of the compliance rules judged by the principal investigator or medical doctor.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Changes in integrated fractional synthesis rate (%/d) in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day 0-5 and day 5-10
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Changes in whole body insulin sensitivity in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day-3 and Day 10.
measure: Changes in whole-body lean mass (kg) in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation
timeFrame: Day-3 and Day 10.
measure: Changes in leg lean mass (kg) in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation
timeFrame: Day -3 and Day 10.
measure: Changes in quadriceps muscle volume in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day -3 and Day 10.
measure: Changes in maximal voluntary isometric contraction (N/m) of the knee extensors in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day -3 and Day 10.
measure: Changes in handgrip strength (kg) in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day -3 and Day 10.
measure: Changes in physical performance (numerical score) as determined by short physical performance battery (SPPB) in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day -3 and Day 10.
measure: Changes in physical performance (numerical score) as determined by 5-item physical performance test in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day -3 and Day 10.
measure: Changes in cognitive status in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day 4 and Day 9.
measure: Changes in markers of inflammation in systemic circulation in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day -3 and Day 10.
measure: Changes in muscle mRNA expression of inflammatory regulators will be assessed in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day -3 and Day 10.
measure: Changes in skeletal muscle phenotype in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day -3 and Day 10.
measure: Changes in skeletal muscle fiber size in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day -3 and Day 10.
measure: Changes in mitochondrial content in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day -3 and Day 10.
measure: Changes in mitochondrial respiration in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day -3 and Day 10.
measure: Changes in mitochondrial calcium retention capacity (marker of mitochondrial propensity to trigger apoptosis) in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day -3 and Day 10.
measure: Changes in mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day -3 and Day 10.
measure: Changes in mitochondrial time to the permeability transition pore opening (marker of mitochondrial propensity to trigger apoptosis) in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day -3 and Day 10.
measure: Changes in the phosphorylation status of anabolic signaling molecules modulating muscle protein synthesis (MPS) in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day -3 and Day 10.
measure: Changes in the phosphorylation status of catabolic signaling molecules modulating muscle protein breakdown (MPB) in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day -3 and Day 10.
measure: Blood beta-hydroxybutyrate concentrations (mmol/L) in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day 5 and Day 10
measure: Changes in subjective pain via visual analog scale in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day 5-10.
measure: Changes in muscle area in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day -3 and Day 10.
measure: Changes in muscle density in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day -3 and Day 10.
measure: 2H enrichments in body water before and during bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day -1 to Day 10.
measure: 2H-alanine enrichment in venous blood before and during bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day -1 to Day 10.
measure: Changes in resting metabolic rate (RMR) in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day -3 and Day 10.
measure: Physical activity level via accelerometer before bed rest.
timeFrame: Day 0-4.
measure: Changes in sleep disturbance (numerical score) during bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day 5-10.
measure: Changes in sleep quality (numerical score) during bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day 5-10.
measure: Average habitual dietary intake assessed using Keenoa for 3 days (a food tracker application).
timeFrame: Measured before bed rest.
measure: Changes in Thigh Absolute Synthetic Rate (ASR) in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day 0-5 and day 5-10
measure: Changes in Thigh Absolute Protein Breakdown Rate (ABR) in response to bed rest with and without ketone monoester (KET) supplementation.
timeFrame: Day 0-5 and day 5-10
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Montréal
country: Canada
facility: Research Institute - McGill University Health Centre
state: Quebec
Study officials:
affiliation: McGill University
name: Tyler A Churchward-Venne, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: