Effect of aminoacid intake on physical conditions and skin state: A randomized, doubleblind, placebocontrolled, crossover trial

Abstract

The objective of this study is to elucidate the effect of a supple ment enriched with Lleucine, Larginine, and Lglutamine on body compositions/skin conditions. Healthy young women (n = 29) were allocated to a group (n = 14) receiving an aminoacid supplement (600 mg Lleucine, 250 mg Larginine, and 300 mg Lglutamine) and a placebo group (n = 15) receiving a supplement notcontaining the amino acids. The aminoacid supplement and placebo were given twice/day for 6 weeks. After a washout (2 months) from the 1st test, the aminoacid group received the placebo and the placebo group the aminoacid supplement. The body compositions/ skin conditions were measured 4 times (day 1 and weeks 2, 4, and 6) in each test. Percentagechange of muscle mass in the aminoacid group increased up to 4 weeks (p = 0.05) and was higher than that in the placebo group (p = 0.09). Skin texture estimated by the image processing of neck skin replica tended to increase in the amino acid group at 6 weeks compared with that at 0 week, though there was no significant intergroup difference. In conclusion, the young adult women having no fitness habit showed the significant increase of the muscle amount and improvement tendency of the skin texture by the continuous intake of the aminoacid supplement.