Can a seaweed cake help fight Age-Related muscle loss?
NCT ID NCT07689994
First seen Jul 08, 2026 · Last updated Jul 09, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a daily chocolate cake enriched with seaweed flour and leucine can improve metabolic and inflammatory markers in older adults with sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss). Participants aged 60–80 with low muscle strength will eat one of three cakes daily for 28 days: a standard cake, a cake with added leucine, or a cake with both leucine and seaweed flour. The main goal is to see changes in a blood marker called transthyretin, which reflects nutritional status.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- seaweed flour and leucine
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward a simple dietary supplement to help manage sarcopenia in older adults.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, short-term trial (28 days) measuring blood markers, not muscle mass or function directly. Results may not translate to long-term benefits.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
-
About 102 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
-
Aug 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
-
Mar 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
60 years and older
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria * Age between 60 and 80 years at the time of enrollment. * Ability to understand the study procedures and provide written informed consent. * SARC-F score ≥4 during screening. * Reduced muscle strength defined as handgrip strength \<27 kg in men or \<16 kg in women; alternatively, a time \>15 seconds on the five-repetition chair stand test when handgrip dynamometry cannot be validly performed or is contraindicated. * Availability to attend study visits and comply with daily consumption of the study product for 28 days. * Willingness to provide fasting blood samples at the Day 0 and Day 28 visits. Exclusion Criteria * Cognitive impairment according to the abbreviated Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), using the operational cutoff approved for the study (≤13 points). * Clinically significant chronic liver disease, clinically significant chronic kidney disease, nephrotic syndrome, active cancer or recent oncological treatment, or any condition that may substantially affect serum TTR levels or increase participant risk. * Acute infection, acute inflammatory condition, or clinical decompensation at baseline that may interfere with the interpretation of serum TTR measurements. * Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus or any metabolic condition that, in the investigator's judgment, may increase the risks associated with the intervention. * Food allergy or intolerance to any component of the study product, including gluten, egg, milk, or other specific cake ingredients. * Use of leucine, HMB, or protein supplements within the previous 3 months. * Chronic use of systemic corticosteroids, immunosuppressive agents, or other therapies that may significantly alter the metabolic response under study. * Untreated thyroid disease or any other unstable endocrine disorder. * Clinically significant edema, severe dehydration, or any condition that may compromise the validity of bioelectrical impedance measurements. * Any medical, functional, social, or cognitive condition that may limit safe participation or adherence to the study protocol.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Sarcopenia in elderly are added.
By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Universidad Finis Terrae
Santiago, 8010000, Chile
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can tai chi lift mood and quality of life in older adults losing muscle?
- Can a bone drug also build muscle? trial tests denosumab for sarcopenia
- Can tai chi rebuild strength and balance in aging muscles?
- Can a bone drug rebuild muscle? trial tests denosumab for sarcopenia
- Scientists probe a muscle protein that may hold clues to Age-Related weakness
- A simple pudding might help fight muscle loss in seniors