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A Trial of n-3 PUFA-Enriched Ready to Use Therapeutic Food for Childhood Severe Malnutrition (Njugu Plus)

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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01593969
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : May 8, 2012
Last Update Posted : August 18, 2014
Sponsor:
Collaborator:
KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Collaborative Research Program
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
University of Oxford

Study Description
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Brief Summary:
The investigators will perform a randomised controlled trial of the provision of food designed for rehabilitation of malnourished children that is supplemented with n-3 fatty acids compared to usual composition. The investigators want to see whether the provision of such a food normalises the deficiencies in essential fatty acids observed in severely malnourished children faster than standard composition.

Condition or disease Intervention/treatment Phase
Severe Acute Malnutrition Dietary Supplement: RUTF/Flax Oil Dietary Supplement: RUTF/Flax Oil plus additional Fish Oil Dietary Supplement: Standard RUTF Phase 2

Detailed Description:

Randomized controlled trial of n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid-Enriched Therapeutic Food for Severe Malnutrition.

Description of Study Design: Randomized Controlled Trial

Study Duration: 6 months (Trial); 12 months (All trial-related activities)

Description of Intervention: Provision of ready to use food (RUTF) enriched with flax seed oil, with or without fish oil, compared to conventional-composition RUTF. Interventional product will be given until nutritional recovery to a maximum of 12 weeks.

Design: Flax-enriched or standard RUTF allocation is randomised and double blind. Fish oil allocation is randomised within those receiving flax-enriched RUTF and is open label.

Location: Kilifi District, coastal Kenya.

Study Design
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Study Type : Interventional  (Clinical Trial)
Actual Enrollment : 60 participants
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
Official Title: A Randomised Controlled Trial of n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid-Enriched Therapeutic Food for Childhood Severe Malnutrition
Study Start Date : May 2012
Actual Primary Completion Date : August 2013
Actual Study Completion Date : June 2014

Resource links provided by the National Library of Medicine

MedlinePlus related topics: Malnutrition

Arms and Interventions
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Arm Intervention/treatment
Active Comparator: Standard RUTF
Standard RUTF given according to National Guidelines
 Dietary Supplement: Standard RUTF
Standard formulation RUTF given according to National Guidelines
Experimental: RUTF/Flax Oil
RUTF/Flax Oil is reformulated RUTF to increase n3 content
 Dietary Supplement: RUTF/Flax Oil
Ready to Use Therapeutic Food
Experimental: RUTF/Flax Oil plus additional Fish Oil
RUTF/Flax Oil plus additional Fish Oil is RUTF reformulated to increase n3. Fish oil to provide long chain n3
 Dietary Supplement: RUTF/Flax Oil plus additional Fish Oil
Ready to Use Therapeutic Food


Outcome Measures
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Primary Outcome Measures :
  1. Total long chain PUFA in erythrocyte membranes at 3 months [ Time Frame: 3 months ]
    Total long chain PUFA in erythrocyte membranes at 3 months


Secondary Outcome Measures :
  1. Ratio of n-6:n-3 PUFA in erythrocyte membranes at 3 months [ Time Frame: 3 months ]
    Ratio of n-6:n-3 PUFA in erythrocyte membranes at 3 months

  2. Total long chain PUFA in CD3 cell membranes at 3 months [ Time Frame: 3 months ]
    Total long chain PUFA in CD3 cell membranes at 3 months

  3. Ratio of n-6:n-3 PUFA in CD3 cell membranes at 3 months [ Time Frame: 3 months ]
    Ratio of n-6:n-3 PUFA in CD3 cell membranes at 3 months

  4. Total long chain PUFA in plasma at 3 months [ Time Frame: 3 months ]
    Total long chain PUFA in plasma at 3 months

  5. Ratio of n-6:n-3 PUFA in plasma at 3 months [ Time Frame: 3 months ]
    Ratio of n-6:n-3 PUFA in plasma at 3 months

  6. Change in weight for height z score between baseline and 3 months [ Time Frame: 3 months ]
    Change in weight for height z score between baseline and 3 months

  7. Change in mid upper arm circumference between baseline and 3 months [ Time Frame: 3 months ]
    Change in mid upper arm circumference between baseline and 3 months


Eligibility Criteria
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Information from the National Library of Medicine

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Ages Eligible for Study:   6 Months to 5 Years   (Child)
Sexes Eligible for Study:   All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:   No
Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Children aged 6 months to 5 years old
  • Provision of informed consent
  • Severe malnutrition (one or more of mid-upper arm circumference <11.5cm, weight for height z score <-3, or nutritional oedema)
  • Stabilised and eligible to receive RUTF according to national guidelines

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Known HIV disease, tuberculosis or other chronic infection*

  • Known allergy or hypersensitivity to any of the product ingredients

    • Chronic infections such as HIV and tuberculosis and their treatments are likely to cause alterations in lipid metabolism that may confound interpretation of this pilot trial. national guidelines recommend offering provider-initiated testing for HIV for all severely malnourished children, and referral for comprehensive care in the case of a positive test.
Contacts and Locations
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Information from the National Library of Medicine

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01593969


Locations
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Kenya
Kilifi District Hospital
Kilifi, Coast, Kenya, 80108
Sponsors and Collaborators
University of Oxford
KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Collaborative Research Program
Investigators
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Principal Investigator: James A Berkley, FRCPCH KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Collaborative Research Program
More Information
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Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):

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Responsible Party: University of Oxford
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01593969    
Other Study ID Numbers: SSC 2157
OPP1046183 ( Other Grant/Funding Number: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation )
First Posted: May 8, 2012    Key Record Dates
Last Update Posted: August 18, 2014
Last Verified: August 2014
Keywords provided by University of Oxford:
Essential Fatty Acid
Seed oil
Fish oil
Dietary deficiency
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
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Malnutrition
Severe Acute Malnutrition
Nutrition Disorders