Trial aims to improve muscle strength in older people
Published On Wed 11 May 2016 by Roddy Isles
A UK-wide clinical trial is set to examine whether a commonly used heart pill and a food supplement could improve the health of older people across the UK by improving muscle strength.
Researchers at the University of Dundee, University of Aberdeen and Imperial College London are testing whether the treatments can prevent the weakening of muscles that commonly affects older people.
The research team aims to recruit 450 people aged 70 and over from across the UK. Participants will be given a heart pill (perindopril) or a matching dummy tablet, and also a food supplement powder (leucine) or matching dummy powder.
All the participants will take part for a year, and the research team will test how muscle strength, muscle size, daily function and quality of life change over the year.
“Muscle weakness, which we call sarcopenia, is really common as we get older, and I see many patients in my work as a geriatrician who are affected by this problem” said Dr Miles Witham, lead researcher for the study at the University of Dundee.
“Older people with weak muscles find it much harder to get around, or to climb stairs, and are more prone to falling and injuring themselves. In the long term people with weaker muscles are more likely to need help to look after themselves. So keeping muscles working well is important in keeping older people active and independent.
“Although we know exercise helps to improve muscle strength even in very old people, it’s important to find new ways to keep muscles working well in older people – and to help improve strength when muscles are weak.
“That’s why we are excited to be running this new trial. Previous research has suggested that both perindopril and leucine might improve muscle strength, and both these treatments have been used safely in older people for many years. It is only by doing this big trial that we will really know if these treatments are going to benefit older people though.”
The £1.4 million trial, named LACE, is run by Tayside Clinical Trials Unit and is funded by the Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) Programme, an MRC (Medical Research Council) and NIHR (National Institute for Health Research) partnership (NIHR 15/53/03). The research team are collaborating with doctors at 15 centres across the UK, and results from the trial are expected in 2019.
Participating centres across the UK will include Bath, Fife, Glasgow, Grampian, London, Leicester, Lothian, Newcastle, Northumbria, Nottingham, South Manchester, Southampton, Sussex and Tayside.
Anyone wishing more information on the study, including how they can volunteer to take part, can contact Karen Smith (Trial Manager) on 01382 383265 or go to: www.lacetrial.org.uk
Photo shows the LACE trial team (left to right): Helen Waldie (LACE research nurse), Dr Miles Witham (LACE chief investigator and co-director), Paula McGillian (Database manager), Margaret Band (Senior Trials Manager), Karen Smith (LACE trial manager)
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The project is managed by the Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation Programme, an MRC and NIHR partnership, that supports later-phase “science-driven” clinical trials and evaluative studies, which seek to determine whether a health intervention (e.g. a drug, diagnostic technique or device) works and in some cases how or why it works. The programme is funded by the MRC and NIHR, with contributions from the CSO in Scotland, NISCHR in Wales and the HSC R&D Division, Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland.
2. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is funded by the Department of Health to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. Since its establishment in April 2006, the NIHR has transformed research in the NHS. It has increased the volume of applied health research for the benefit of patients and the public, driven faster translation of basic science discoveries into tangible benefits for patients and the economy, and developed and supported the people who conduct and contribute to applied health research. The NIHR plays a key role in the Government’s strategy for economic growth, attracting investment by the life-sciences industries through its world-class infrastructure for health research. Together, the NIHR people, programmes, centres of excellence and systems represent the most integrated health research system in the world. For further information, visit the NIHR website (www.nihr.ac.uk).
3. The Medical Research Council has been at the forefront of scientific discovery to improve human health. Founded in 1913 to tackle tuberculosis, the MRC now invests taxpayers’ money in some of the best medical research in the world across every area of health. Twenty-nine MRC-funded researchers have won Nobel prizes in a wide range of disciplines, and MRC scientists have been behind such diverse discoveries as vitamins, the structure of DNA and the link between smoking and cancer, as well as achievements such as pioneering the use of randomised controlled trials, the invention of MRI scanning, and the development of a group of antibodies used in the making of some of the most successful drugs ever developed. Today, MRC-funded scientists tackle some of the greatest health problems facing humanity in the 21st century, from the rising tide of chronic diseases associated with ageing to the threats posed by rapidly mutating micro-organisms. www.mrc.ac.uk
This article presents independent research supported by an MRC and NIHR partnership. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the MRC, the NIHR or the Department of Health.
4. About the University of Dundee:
The University of Dundee is the Scottish University of the Year 2016, as named by the Times & Sunday Times Good University Guide.
Dundee is internationally recognised for the quality of its teaching and research and has a core mission to transform lives locally and globally by:
- promoting the sustainable use of global resources
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- improving social, cultural and physical well-being
Dundee is the top ranked University in the UK for biological sciences, according to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework.
More than 17,000 students are enrolled at Dundee, helping make the city Scotland’s most student-friendly. The University is ranked top in Scotland for student experience in the National Student Survey.
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