Short-term isolated leucine supplementation was not associated with improvements in muscle mass or function in patients with head and neck cancer: A randomized, double-blind, proof-of-concept trial with an elderly non-cancer comparator cohort
In this short-term, proof-of-concept study, isolated leucine supplementation was associated with modest gains in muscle mass in elderly individuals without cancer but was not linked with improvements in muscle mass or function in patients with HNC. These findings suggest that supplementation with isolated leucine supplementation alone is insufficient to counteract cancer-related muscle waste and should be investigated as part of multimodal interventions addressing nutrition, inflammation, and physical activity.
Authors
- Sílvio Pires Gomes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9981-1230)
- Marília Seelaender (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9999-8020)
- Bruna Franchi
- Rafael De Cicco (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2505-0461)
- José Francisco de Góis Filho
- Rafael Machado de Souza (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8711-3686)
- Joyce Cristina Ferreira de Resende (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-8468-5178)
- Ivanir S.O. Pires
- A.P.N. Barrére (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9719-9092)
- Jaline Zandonato Faiad (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2839-3021)
- Daniela Caetano Gonçalves (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0604-7067)
- Marcelo de Carvalho
- José Pinhata Otoch
- Márcia Fábia Andrade
- Ana Laura Camilo Venturini
- Everson Luiz Almeida Artifon
- Gabriela Salim de Castro
Institutions
- Universidade de São Paulo (BR)
- AC Camargo Hospital (BR)
- Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo (BR)
- Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (BR)
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo (BR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Clinical Nutrition ESPEN
- Published
- 2026-03-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnesp.2026.103100
- Primary Topic
- Muscle metabolism and nutrition
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00