Effect of KA-EX Supplementation on Recovery Parameters in High-Level Young Football Players (Effect of KA-E)

September 13, 2026 updated by: Antonio Molina Lopez

Effect of KA-EX Supplementation on Recovery Parameters in High-Level Young Football Players: A Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of KA-EX supplementation on recovery parameters in elite young football players. Athletes from the Udine Primavera team will be randomly assigned to receive either the KA-EX supplement or a sensory-matched placebo immediately following their training sessions for a period of two months.

The researchers will monitor heart rate variability (HRV) and sleep quality using Garmin wearable devices, and assess changes in body composition using Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). The goal of the study is to determine if post-training KA-EX administration improves physiological recovery, sleep quality, and physical readiness in high-performance athletes during a competitive season.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Background and Rationale: Post-exercise recovery is a critical determinant of performance and adaptation in high-level football players. Insufficient recovery can lead to decreased physical readiness and increased risk of injury. KA-EX is a nutritional supplement containing a complex of amino acids, electrolytes, and functional sugars designed to support metabolic and physiological recovery. This study aims to investigate its efficacy in a real-world elite training environment.

Study Objectives: The primary objective is to evaluate the effect of KA-EX supplementation on physiological recovery parameters (HRV). Secondary objectives include assessing the impact on sleep recovery indices, changes in body composition (via DEXA), and cellular health parameters (via BIA).

Methodology and Design: This is an experimental, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Participants: 25 male players from the Udine Primavera team (Italy). Intervention: Participants will be randomly assigned to an experimental group (KA-EX) or a control group (placebo). The products will be identical in appearance, taste, and packaging to ensure blinding.

Duration: The intervention will last for 2 months, typically following the pre-season period.

Procedures:

Baseline Assessment: Participants will undergo initial DEXA scans, bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA 101), and anthropometric measurements. Monitoring with Garmin devices will be initiated.

Intervention Phase: Supplements or placebos will be administered immediately after every training session. Recovery variables (HRV and sleep) will be continuously monitored using Garmin algorithms.

Final Assessment: At the end of the 2-month period, DEXA, BIA, and anthropometric measurements will be repeated to evaluate longitudinal changes.

Statistical Analysis: Within-group and between-group differences will be analyzed to compare the magnitude of change from baseline to post-intervention. Temporal evolution of recovery metrics throughout the 8-week period will also be assessed.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
25

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Italy
    • Friuli Venecia
      • Udine, Friuli Venecia, Italy, 3310'
        • Stadio BlueEnergy

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Membership of the Udine Primavera team at the time of the study. Regular participation in the training programme during the intervention period (September).

Provision of written informed consent to participate in the study. Willingness to use a Garmin wearable device for continuous monitoring of recovery variables.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of any injury or medical condition that limits normal participation in team training sessions.

Use of any other recovery supplements or ergogenic aids outside of the study protocol during the intervention period.

Failure to comply with the daily supplementation protocol or the scheduled assessment sessions (DEXA/BIA).

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: KA-EX Group y Placebo Group.
Participants in this arm will receive the KA-EX supplement immediately after each training session during the 2-month intervention period. KA-EX is a dietary supplement containing a complex of amino acids, electrolytes and functional sugars designed to support physiological recovery.
Dietary supplement: KA-EX
Powder sachet to be dissolved in water. Contains a patented complex of amino acids, electrolytes, and carbohydrates designed to normalize cortisol and support recovery.
Dietary supplement: Experimental: KA-EX Supplement
Powder sachet with identical organoleptic characteristics but without the active recovery ingredients of KA-EX.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo Group.
Participants in this arm will receive a placebo supplement immediately after each training session during the 2-month intervention period. The placebo is organoleptically identical to the experimental supplement in terms of appearance, taste, texture and packaging to ensure double-blinding.
Dietary supplement: KA-EX
Powder sachet to be dissolved in water. Contains a patented complex of amino acids, electrolytes, and carbohydrates designed to normalize cortisol and support recovery.
Dietary supplement: Experimental: KA-EX Supplement
Powder sachet with identical organoleptic characteristics but without the active recovery ingredients of KA-EX.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change from Baseline in Heart Rate Variability (rMSSD)
Time Frame: Baseline and daily for 8 weeks.
Autonomic recovery assessed as Root Mean Square of Successive Differences (rMSSD) during nocturnal sleep via Garmin wearable devices. Higher values indicate better parasympathetic recovery.
Baseline and daily for 8 weeks.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change from Baseline in Sleep Score
Time Frame: Daily for 8 weeks.
Overall sleep quality score calculated by Garmin's proprietary algorithm based on sleep duration, REM, and deep sleep cycles.
Daily for 8 weeks.
Change from Baseline in Recovery Readiness Index
Time Frame: Daily for 8 weeks.
Daily readiness score (Body Battery) obtained via Garmin wearable algorithm. Scores range from 0 to 100; higher scores indicate greater physical readiness for training.
Daily for 8 weeks.
Body Composition
Time Frame: 8 weeks.
Body composition assessed at week 8. Lower values indicate reduction
8 weeks.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Antonio Molina Lopez

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
University of Udine
Universidad Europea de Madrid
Universidad Pablo de Olavide

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

  • ClinicalTrials.gov. Individual Participant Data Sharing Plan Definitions. 2026.
  • International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Clinical Trials Registration Policy. 2024.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 5, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
November 5, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 26, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 13, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
September 17, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 17, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 13, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • UPO-KAEX-2026

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified individual participant data that underlie the results reported in this article (text, tables, figures, and appendices) will be made available for research purposes IPD Sharing Plan Description: "De-identified individual participant data that underlie the results reported in this article (text, tables, figures, and appendices) will be made available for research purposes." Supporting Information: Selecciona: Study Protocol y Statistical Analysis Plan (SAP).

IPD Sharing Time Frame

"Data will be available beginning 6 months and ending 36 months following article publication."

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

"Data will be shared with researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal to achieve aims in the approved proposal. Proposals should be directed to the corresponding author."

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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