Protein power: new study tests if supplements can stop muscle loss in heart failure
NCT ID NCT05627440
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at whether adding protein supplements to the diet can prevent muscle wasting in people with heart failure. About 120 adults with heart failure and reduced pumping ability will be randomly assigned to receive no, low, or high doses of protein drinks. The main goal is to see if extra protein helps maintain or increase muscle mass in the arms and legs.
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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 120 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2023
- Expected to finish
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Dec 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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18 to 100 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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤40%, New York Heart Association (NHYA) class II to IV symptoms or N-terminal pro B-natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) \>300 pg/mL 2. Age 18 years to 100 years, inclusive 3. Receiving guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT), unless contraindicated or not tolerated 4. Any of the following markers of severe HF within prior 12 months: i) Inotropic therapy; ii) 1 or more HF hospitalizations; iii) LVEF ≤25%; iv) Peak oxygen consumption (VO2) \<50% predicted or ≤16 mL/kg/min; v) 6-minute walk distance \<300 meters; vi) Unintentional weight loss \>5% of bodyweight over the past year; vii) Moderate or severe muscle wasting on physical examination; viii) NT-proBNP ≥900 pg/mL Exclusion Criteria: 1. Pregnancy, planning to become pregnant, or women of reproductive potential unwilling to complete pre-DXA urine pregnancy test before first DXA or randomization 2. History of left ventricular assist device (LVAD), heart transplantation, or estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) \<20 mL/min/1.73 m2 3. An identified clinical disorder associated with skeletal muscle weakness/wasting (e.g., muscular dystrophy, mitochondrial disorder, active cancer, modified Rankin score greater or equal to 4 post-stroke) 4. Milk allergy, protein allergy, lactose intolerance, and galactosemia 5. Weight ≥350 pounds and/or BMI ≥40 kg/m2 6. Initiation of obesity-dosed GLP-1 or GIP/GLP-1 agonist within 3 months prior to screening, or clinical intention to begin such an anti-obesity medication within the next 6 months.
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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
2 sites. 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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Cleveland Clinic
RECRUITINGCleveland, Ohio, 44195, United States
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Tufts Medical Center
RECRUITINGBoston, Massachusetts, 02111, United States
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