Phenotyping of Adult Crohn’s: focussing on Sarcopenia
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Deep nutritional phenotyping of adult Crohn’s disease patients: a focus on protein intake and Sarcopenia
IRAS ID
287471
Contact name
Gordon Moran
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Nottingham
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Malnutrition & alteration of body composition is common in Crohn’s disease (CD) patients. Many CD patients have low muscle mass and function (sarcopenia). 41.6% of CD patients with sarcopenia require surgery. With the trauma of surgery & subsequent inactivity leading to further muscle mass loss.
Muscle mass is maintained through the daily balance of muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and muscle protein breakdown (MPB), with the essential amino acid (EAA) components of a meal and muscle contraction being the primary stimulators of MPS. We have shown that adult CD patients with established disease consume less protein compared to matched healthy volunteers (HV). We have also shown that intestinal motility, measured using cine-MRI, is reduced in active CD, possibly further decreasing intestinal digestion and absorption of dietary peptides (short chain amino acids). We know that malabsorption is a major contributing factor to malnourishment in CD.
CD may have a significant effect on protein digestion and absorption, and blunt the MPS response to feeding, leading to a chronic muscle mass reduction that may persist even when in remission.
The Essential Amino acids (EAA) components of a protein-meal are crucial for MPS. We have shown of all the EAA’s, leucine plays a key role in driving MPS. Low serum levels EAA/leucine have been reported in CD but their role in the cause of sarcopenia in CD is unknown. How CD affects protein digestion/absorption and how this contributes to low EAA/leucine is unclear.
HV and CD Participants will consume labelled AA’s; the appearance of these labelled AAs are traced. Labelled protein, (Casein), will also be consumed and protein digestion, absorption, & MPS will be assessed. We will also look at the effect of leucine congestion on acute plasma AA availability and MPS.REC name
South West - Frenchay Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/SW/0101
Date of REC Opinion
27 Sep 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion