Actively Recruiting
Threonine Requirement in Adults >60 Years of Age
Led by The Hospital for Sick Children · Updated on 2025-05-30
40
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
86 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
Sponsors
T
The Hospital for Sick Children
Lead Sponsor
C
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
Collaborating Sponsor
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
Threonine is an essential amino acid and must be obtained from the diet. The body's capacity to maintain adequate mucin synthesis is directly related to the bioavailability of certain amino acids, including threonine, serine and proline (1). Moreover, the rate of mucin synthesis has been demonstrated to be directly related to the availability of dietary threonine in healthy rats (2) and piglets (3,4). Intestinal inflammation is known to increase gastrointestinal threonine uptake and mucin synthesis in enterally fed minipigs (5). Additionally, in animals, mucin function/barrier has been shown to decline with age, leaving them more susceptible to bacterial penetration. Thus, with advancing age (6), a higher dietary supply of threonine may be needed for maintaining intestinal mucosal health. Despite this, the current threonine requirement is based on studies conducted exclusively in young adults. Thus, there is a need to determine the threonine requirement directly in older adults.
CONDITIONS
Official Title
Threonine Requirement in Adults >60 Years of Age
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Consent provided
- Aged 60 to 90 years old
- In good general health as evidenced by medical history, physical health and blood draw
- Fasting blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), urea, creatinine within normal limits
- Willingness to participate in the study
- Body mass index (BMI) less than 30 kg/m2
You will not qualify if you...
- Presence of chronic disease or acute illness affecting protein or amino acid metabolism (e.g., HIV, diabetes, cancer, liver or kidney disease, acute cold or flu)
- Taking medications affecting protein or amino acid metabolism (e.g., steroids)
- Inability to tolerate the diet due to allergy
- Significant weight loss in past month or current weight reducing diets
- High caffeine intake (more than 2 cups per day)
- High alcohol intake (more than 1 drink per day, e.g., 1 beer or half glass of wine)
- Unwillingness to have blood drawn or use ventilated hood indirect calorimeter for study purposes
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
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Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
The Hospital for Sick Children
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 1X8
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
A
Alyssa Paoletti, PhD, MSc
CONTACT
M
Mahroukh Rafii, BSc
CONTACT
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
NONE
Allocation
NA
Model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary Purpose
OTHER
Number of Arms
1
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