# Early Effect of Supplementation with Essential Amino Acids on Cardiac Performance in Elderly Patients with Heart Failure and Sarcopenia

## TL;DR

This study shows that adding essential amino acids to heart failure treatment improves heart and muscle function in elderly patients.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that EAA supplementation improves both cardiac and muscular performance in elderly patients with heart failure and sarcopenia.

## Key findings

- EAA supplementation improved sarcopenia and glycol-metabolic parameters after 6 months.
- Significant decreases in oxidative stress and platelet aggregation biomarkers were observed.
- Improvements in LVEF and global longitudinal strain indicate better cardiac function.

## Abstract

The aim of the present observational study was to evaluate the early effect of free-form essential amino acid (EAA) supplementation on cardiac and muscular performance in elderly patients with chronic heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and sarcopenia, as add-on to the optimized medical therapy (OMT) for HF. The present study included 60 elderly Caucasian patients suffering from HFrEF and sarcopenia. At the baseline and at follow-up, all patients underwent complete physical examination with the determination of the main anthropometric and hemodynamic parameters. After 6 months of supplementation with EAAs, we observed significant improvements in the parameters of sarcopenia. In addition, there was a significant improvement in glycol-metabolic parameters, and in inflammatory index as high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). In accordance with these results, significant decreases were observed in circulating levels of oxidative stress biomarkers Nox-2 (p < 0.001) and 8-Isoprostane (p < 0.001), and platelet aggregation biomarkers such as sP-Selectin (p < 0.001) and Gp-VI (p < 0.001). Of particular interest, after 6 months’ follow-up, there was a significant improvement in LVEF and global longitudinal strain (GLS). In conclusion, this study demonstrates that targeted nutritional intervention with EEAAs represents a viable therapeutic strategy for addressing the complex interplay between cardiac dysfunction and skeletal muscle wasting in elderly HF patients.