Medium-chain triglycerides (8:0 and 10:0) are promising nutrients for sarcopenia: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: The combined supplementation of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), l-leucine-rich amino acids, and cholecalciferol was previously shown to increase muscle strength and function in frail elderly individuals. Objective: We examined whether treatment with MCTs alone is sufficient to increase muscle strength and function and activities of daily living (ADL) in such individuals. Methods: We enrolled 64 elderly nursing home residents (85.5 +/- 6.8 y) in a 3-mo randomized, controlled, single-blinded intervention trial. The participants were randomly assigned to 3 groups: the first group received supplemental l-leucine (1.2 g) and cholecalciferol (20 mu g) enriched with 6 g/d of MCTs (LD + MCT group) as a positive control, the second group received 6 g/d of MCTs (MCT group) as a target, and the third group received 6 g/d of long-chain triglycerides (LCT group) as a negative control. Changes in muscle mass, strength, function, and ADL were monitored 4 times: at baseline, at 1.5 and 3 mo after initiation of the intervention (intervention), and 1.5 mo after termination of the intervention (washout). Results: The 64 participants randomly assigned to the 3 groups were included in an intention-to-treat analysis. Forty-eight participants completed the study and were included in a per-protocol analysis. At 3 mo, participants in the MCT group had a 48.1% increase in 10-s leg open and close test performance [intention-to-treat adjusted means: MCT 2.28 n/10 s (1.37, 3.19) compared with LCT -0.59 n/10 s (-1.52, 0.35), P < 0.05], a 27.8% increase in a 30-s repetitive saliva swallowing test [MCT 0.5 n/30 s (0.1, 1.0) compared with LCT -0.5 n/30 s (-0.9, 0.0), P < 0.05], and a 7.5% increase in Functional Independence Measure score, a questionnaire for assessing ADL [MCT 5.6 points (1.3, 9.9) compared with LCT -6.6 points (-11.3, -2.0), P < 0.05]. Conclusion: MCTs (6 g/d) could increase the muscle strength and function of frail elderly individuals and also improve their ADL.