{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]],"date-time":"2026-08-14T12:38:08Z","timestamp":1786711088982,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]],"date-time":"2026-08-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1786665600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"En Chu Kong Hospital","award":["NTUH.112-EKN0003"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NTUH.112-EKN0003"]}]},{"award":["NTUH.112-EKN0003"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NTUH.112-EKN0003"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/015a6df35","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Life"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength, affects over 20% of older adults in Taiwan and contributes to frailty and functional decline. Nutritional supplementation offers a promising strategy for those unable to engage in structured exercise, yet multi-ingredient MCT\u2013leucine\u2013creatine-based interventions remain understudied in clinically defined sarcopenic populations. Methods: We conducted an 8-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial at National Taiwan University Hospital (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06376266). Seventy-three older adults (mean age 77.3 \u00b1 7.7 years) meeting AWGS 2019 sarcopenia criteria were randomized to TLN-01 (a multi-ingredient supplement containing whey protein, branched-chain amino acids, medium-chain triglycerides, creatine, resveratrol, and vitamin D3, n = 34) or isocaloric placebo (n = 39). Primary outcomes were changes in appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) assessed by DXA and handgrip strength. Targeted plasma amino acid metabolomics (LC-MS) was performed as an exploratory endpoint. Results: ASM increased significantly in the TLN-01 group (+0.42 kg, +3.2%; p &lt; 0.001) but remained unchanged in controls (p = 0.785), with a significant between-group difference (ANCOVA p &lt; 0.01); this absolute change was below the commonly cited minimal clinically important difference. Handgrip strength did not differ significantly between groups (p = 0.32); within-group analysis showed a significant decline in the placebo group (\u22127.0%; p &lt; 0.001) that was not observed in the intervention group (p = 0.537). Metabolomic analysis revealed reductions in plasma taurine and 1-methylhistidine and an increase in kynurenine; given the absence of clear separation on PCA\/PLS-DA, these findings are considered exploratory and hypothesis-generating rather than confirmatory evidence of altered amino acid utilization or proteolysis. No clinically significant adverse metabolic or renal events occurred. Conclusions: Eight weeks of this multi-ingredient MCT\u2013leucine\u2013creatine-based supplement induced a modest increase in muscle mass and attenuated the decline in handgrip strength observed in the placebo group among sarcopenic older adults without a structured exercise program, supporting further investigation as a safe and practical nutritional adjunct in geriatric care.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/life16081334","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]],"date-time":"2026-08-14T11:57:46Z","timestamp":1786708666000},"page":"1334","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Effects of a Multi-Ingredient MCT\u2013Leucine\u2013Creatine-Based Supplement (TLN-01) on Muscle Mass, Strength, and Plasma Amino Acid Profiles in Older Adults with Sarcopenia: A Randomized Controlled Trial"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Ding-Cheng","family":"Chan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Geriatrics and Gerontology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 100229, Taiwan"},{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 100225, Taiwan"},{"name":"Superintendent Office, National Taiwan University Hospital Bei-Hu Branch, Taipei 108206, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ming-Shi","family":"Shiao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333323, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wei-Jia","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Geriatrics and Gerontology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 100229, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6265-5155","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chun-Feng","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Family Medicine, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan 71004, Taiwan"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112304, Taiwan"},{"name":"Department of Leisure Services Management, Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung 413310, Taiwan"},{"name":"School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 804201, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"16","DOI":"10.1093\/ageing\/afy169","article-title":"Sarcopenia: Revised European consensus on definition and diagnosis","volume":"48","author":"Bahat","year":"2019","journal-title":"Age Ageing"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"412","DOI":"10.1093\/ageing\/afq034","article-title":"Sarcopenia: European consensus on definition and diagnosis","volume":"39","author":"Baeyens","year":"2010","journal-title":"Age Ageing"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"86","DOI":"10.1002\/jcsm.12783","article-title":"Global prevalence of sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"13","author":"Balntzi","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. 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