A Two-centre, Randomized, Double-blind Trial of Ornithine Oxoglutarate in 194 Elderly, Ambulatory, Convalescent Subjects

• Published in: Age and ageing 1994-07, Vol.23 (4), p.303-306
• Main Authors: BROCKER, PATRICE, VELLAS, BRUNO, ALBAREDE, JEAN-LOUIS, POYNARD, THIERRY
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Acute Disease; Aged; Appetite - drug effects; Biological and medical sciences; Convalescence; Costs and Cost Analysis; Diet; Dietary supplements; Double-Blind Method; Drug therapy; Evaluation; General and cellular metabolism. Vitamins; Health aspects; Humans; Medical research; Medical sciences; Nutrition; Nutrition disorders; Nutrition Disorders - prevention & control; Nutritional Status; Nutritionally induced diseases; Older people; Ornithine - analogs & derivatives; Ornithine - economics; Ornithine - therapeutic use; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Quality of Life
• ISSN: 0002-0729; 1468-2834
• DOI: 10.1093/ageing/23.4.303

In a double-blind trial, 194 ambulatory elderly patients (mean age, 74±8 years) recovering from acute illnesses were randomly assigned to receive either ornithine oxoglutarate (OGO) or a placebo. Nine subjects withdrew during the study, six in the OGO group and three in the placebo group. OGO and the placebo were administered once daily at a dose of 10 g after lunch for 2 months; the patients were monitored for a total of 4 months. Efficacy was evaluated in terms of nutritional variables, quality of life and total cost of medical treatment. The analysis involved a total of 185 patients (93 in the placebo group and 92 in the OGO group). The two groups were comparable at inclusion. After 30 and 60 days of treatment, there was a significant improvement in the following variables in the OGO group relative to the placebo group: appetite (p