Nutrients 2014, 6, 5992-6004; doi:10.3390/nu6125992 OPEN ACCESS
nutrients ISSN 2072-6643 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients Article
Effects of Levocarnitine on Brachial-Ankle Pulse Wave Velocity in Hemodialysis Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial Terumi Higuchi 1, Masanori Abe 2,*, Toshio Yamazaki 1, Mari Mizuno 1, Erina Okawa 1, Hideyuki Ando 3, Osamu Oikawa 2, Kazuyoshi Okada 2, Fumito Kikuchi 4 and Masayoshi Soma 2 1
2
3 4
Department of Nephrology, Keiai Hospital, Tokyo 173-0036, Japan; E-Mails: [email protected] (T.H.); [email protected] (T.Y.); [email protected] (M.M.); [email protected] (E.O.) Division of Nephrology, Hypertension and Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Oyaguchi Kami-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-8610, Japan; E-Mails: [email protected] (O.O.); [email protected] (K.O.); [email protected] (M.S.) Department of Cardiology, Keiai Hospital, Tokyo 173-0036, Japan; E-Mail: [email protected] Department of Nephrology, Meirikai Chuo General Hospital, Tokyo 114-0001, Japan; E-Mail: [email protected]
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: [email protected]; Tel.: +81-3-3972-8111; Fax: +81-3-3972-8311. Received: 27 October 2014; in revised form: 27 November 2014 / Accepted: 12 December 2014 / Published: 22 December 2014
Abstract: Background and Aims: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of mortality in patients with end-stage kidney disease. Chronic kidney disease patients often exhibit a deficiency in L-carnitine due to loss during hemodialysis (HD). We studied the effects of L-carnitine supplementation on brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), a marker of atherosclerosis, in HD patients. Methods: This was a prospective, open-label, randomized, parallel controlled, multi-center trial testing the anti-atherosclerotic efficacy of oral L-carnitine administration (20 mg/kg/day). HD patients (n = 176, mean age, 67.2 ± 10.3 years old; mean duration of HD, 54 ± 51 months) with plasma free L-carnitine deficiency (
nutrients ISSN 2072-6643 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients Article
Effects of Levocarnitine on Brachial-Ankle Pulse Wave Velocity in Hemodialysis Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial Terumi Higuchi 1, Masanori Abe 2,*, Toshio Yamazaki 1, Mari Mizuno 1, Erina Okawa 1, Hideyuki Ando 3, Osamu Oikawa 2, Kazuyoshi Okada 2, Fumito Kikuchi 4 and Masayoshi Soma 2 1
2
3 4
Department of Nephrology, Keiai Hospital, Tokyo 173-0036, Japan; E-Mails: [email protected] (T.H.); [email protected] (T.Y.); [email protected] (M.M.); [email protected] (E.O.) Division of Nephrology, Hypertension and Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, 30-1 Oyaguchi Kami-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-8610, Japan; E-Mails: [email protected] (O.O.); [email protected] (K.O.); [email protected] (M.S.) Department of Cardiology, Keiai Hospital, Tokyo 173-0036, Japan; E-Mail: [email protected] Department of Nephrology, Meirikai Chuo General Hospital, Tokyo 114-0001, Japan; E-Mail: [email protected]
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: [email protected]; Tel.: +81-3-3972-8111; Fax: +81-3-3972-8311. Received: 27 October 2014; in revised form: 27 November 2014 / Accepted: 12 December 2014 / Published: 22 December 2014
Abstract: Background and Aims: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of mortality in patients with end-stage kidney disease. Chronic kidney disease patients often exhibit a deficiency in L-carnitine due to loss during hemodialysis (HD). We studied the effects of L-carnitine supplementation on brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), a marker of atherosclerosis, in HD patients. Methods: This was a prospective, open-label, randomized, parallel controlled, multi-center trial testing the anti-atherosclerotic efficacy of oral L-carnitine administration (20 mg/kg/day). HD patients (n = 176, mean age, 67.2 ± 10.3 years old; mean duration of HD, 54 ± 51 months) with plasma free L-carnitine deficiency (
