Effects of Carnitine Supplementation on Liver and Muscle

NCT ID: NCT03439917

Last Updated: 2021-11-30

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

30 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2018-04-02

Study Completion Date

2021-11-01

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

It will be evaluated whether carnitine, a dietary supplement, reduces liver fat and improves metabolism in individuals who have a high concentration of fat within their liver. Participants will be given either Carnitine or placebo, together with a meal replacement milkshake twice daily for 6 months.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

NAFLD occurs when too much fat accumulates in liver tissue. This can, over time, cause inflammation and scarring of the liver, eventually leading to chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. It is strongly associated with diabetes and obesity, both of which are endemic in Western societies.

Carnitine enables cells in the body to use fat as a fuel, and recent studies have suggested that carnitine supplementation may reduce liver triglyceride content. Muscle and liver are the major sites in the body which coordinate glucose and fat metabolism. As well as assessing the effect of carnitine supplementation on liver fat, its effect on metabolic processes within these tissues will also be measured

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Insulin Resistance

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

QUADRUPLE

Participants Caregivers Investigators Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Carnitine and Meal Replacement Drink

2g L-carnitine tartrate consumed with a meal replacement milkshake (Slimfast, UK) twice a day for 24 weeks.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

L-Carnitine tartrate

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

2g L-Carnitine tartrate as a powder consumed twice a day

Meal Replacement Drink

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

325ml dairy-based meal replacement drink ('Slimfast' trademark of KSF Acquisition UK Ltd) consumed twice a day

Placebo and Meal Replacement Drink

2g Maltodextrin consumed with a meal replacement milkshake (Slimfast, UK) twice a day for 24 weeks.

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Meal Replacement Drink

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

325ml dairy-based meal replacement drink ('Slimfast' trademark of KSF Acquisition UK Ltd) consumed twice a day

Maltodextrin

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

2g Maltodextrin powder packaged to mimic carnitine powder consumed twice a day

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

L-Carnitine tartrate

2g L-Carnitine tartrate as a powder consumed twice a day

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Meal Replacement Drink

325ml dairy-based meal replacement drink ('Slimfast' trademark of KSF Acquisition UK Ltd) consumed twice a day

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Maltodextrin

2g Maltodextrin powder packaged to mimic carnitine powder consumed twice a day

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Other Intervention Names

Discover alternative or legacy names that may be used to describe the listed interventions across different sources.

Slimfast

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* Elevated liver fat on screening abdominal ultrasound
* Capable of providing informed consent
* Non-vegetarian diet
* BMI \<40 kg/m2
* Weekly ethanol consumption \<21 units/week
* Negative non-invasive liver screen, including Hepatitis B and C serology, liver autoantibodies, transferrin saturation, α1-antitrypsin levels.

Exclusion Criteria

* Known history of cardiovascular disease
* Known diabetes mellitus
* Known psychiatric comorbidity
* Chronic kidney disease
* Surgery within 6 months prior to start of study
* Exposure to drugs known to influence hepatic steatosis (including steroids, statins, omega-3-fatty acids)
* Current smokers
* Contraindications to magnetic resonance scanning, including implanted ferrous material (implantable pacemakers or defibrillators), metallic ocular foreign bodies, ferromagnetic aneurysm clips or severe claustrophobia.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

50 Years

Eligible Sex

MALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

National Institute for Health Research, United Kingdom

OTHER_GOV

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Nottingham

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Guru Aithal, MD, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Nottingham

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

David Greenfield Human Physiology Unit

Nottingham, Notts, United Kingdom

Site Status

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

United Kingdom

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

17/EM/0441

Identifier Type: OTHER

Identifier Source: secondary_id

17086

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id