Can amino acids help anorexia patients regain muscle?
NCT ID NCT05290285
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a special blend of amino acids (protein building blocks) can help people with anorexia nervosa gain lean muscle mass during hospital treatment. 92 patients will receive either the supplement or a placebo, alongside standard therapy. The main goal is to see if the supplement improves body composition after 13 weeks.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Amino-Ther Pro (a blend of essential amino acids)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide a safe supplement to help people with anorexia nervosa regain muscle mass more effectively during hospital treatment.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage, small trial (92 people) testing a dietary supplement, not a drug. The effect on long-term recovery is unknown, and results may not apply to all patients.
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
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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
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About 92 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2022
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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16 to 50 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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: * Diagnosis of anorexia nervosa * Age between 16 and 50 years * Written informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders * Diagnosis of bulimia nervosa * Current and ongoing substance use disorder * Medical complications capable of hindering the interpretation of the results (e.g. a a medical disease that induces weight loss) * Presence of physical treatments (including drugs) hindering the interpretation of the results (e.g. chemotherapy for cancer) * Being pregnant or intending to become pregnant during treatment
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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.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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Department of Eating and Weight Disorders, Villa Garda Hospital
RECRUITINGGarda, Italy, 37016, Italy
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can a pudding snack reveal how the brain misreads the stomach?
- Could the gut microbiome hold clues to eating disorder recovery?
- Can a parent support group help teens with both autism and anorexia?
- Lab-Grown brain cells could unlock Anorexia's secrets
- Can science unlock the secrets of the naturally lean?