Choline to Improve Malnutrition and Enhance Cognition

Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age6-59
SponsorWashington University School of Medicine

About this trial

The goal of this clinical trial is to test adding choline to ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) in children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in Malawi. The main question it aims to answer is:

\- Will the addition of a 500mg daily dose of choline to RUTF during treatment for SAM improve cognitive development among 6-59-month-old Malawian children compared with standard RUTF without added choline?

Eligibility criteria

This trial does not accept healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

6-59 months of age

mid-upper arm circumference < 11.5 cm and/or weight-for-length z-score < -3 and/or presence of bilateral pedal pitting edema

willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study, including no plan to move from the catchment area of a participating clinic

Disqualifiers

features of complicated SAM: inability to tolerate a 30g test dose of RUTF, breathing difficulties, mental status changes, sepsis, or physician/nursing clinical assessment that the child needs immediate hospitalization

participation in a separate feeding program within the past month

known allergy to study food ingredient (peanut, milk, fish)

intention to move away from catchment area within 9 months

Trial design

Design model

Parallel

Treatments tested in this trial

  • C-RUTF (Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food with added choline)

    Dietary supplement

    Choline added to peanut paste-based ready-to-use therapeutic food meeting Codex Alimentarius specifications

  • S-RUTF (Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food without added choline)

    Dietary supplement

    Standard peanut paste-based ready-to-use therapeutic food meeting Codex Alimentarius specifications

  • Amoxicillin

    Drug

    Oral amoxicillin tablets twice per day for 7 days dosed based on weight

Treatment groups

1,500 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groups
Group A: C-RUTF (Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food with added choline)Experimental treatment 2 interventions
Group B: S-RUTF (Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food without added choline)Active comparator 2 interventions

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

1

Malawi Developmental Assessment Tool global z-score

Age-standardized score, -6 to +6, higher scores are better

Time frame
6 months after SAM outcome

Secondary outcomes

1

Malawi Developmental Assessment Tool gross motor sub-domain z-score

Age-standardized score, -6 to +6, higher scores are better

Time frame
6 months after SAM outcome
2

Malawi Developmental Assessment Tool fine motor sub-domain z-score

Age-standardized score, -6 to +6, higher scores are better

Time frame
6 months after SAM outcome
3

Malawi Developmental Assessment Tool language sub-domain z-score

Age-standardized score, -6 to +6, higher scores are better

Time frame
6 months after SAM outcome
4

Malawi Developmental Assessment Tool social sub-domain z-score

Age-standardized score, -6 to +6, higher scores are better

Time frame
6 months after SAM outcome

Other outcomes

1

MDAT global z-score by age

Subgroups: enrollment \<12 vs. \>=12 months of age, -6 to +6, higher scores are better

Time frame
6-month post-outcome MDAT visit
2

MDAT global z-score by SAM outcome status

Subgroups: Recovered vs. Other, -6 to +6, higher scores are better

Time frame
6-month post-outcome MDAT visit

Sponsors and contacts

Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.

Washington University School of Medicine

Lead sponsor

Project Peanut Butter

Collaborator

Kamuzu University of Health Sciences

Collaborator

Balchem Corporation

Collaborator