Physiological Response to Protein and Energy-enhanced Food Products During Winter Military Training
- Conditions
- Malnutrition (Calorie)Military Operational Stress ReactionWeight LossMuscle Wasting
- Interventions
- Dietary Supplement: EAADietary Supplement: Energy DenseDietary Supplement: Control
- Registration Number
- NCT05210205
- Lead Sponsor
- United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine
- Brief Summary
Soldiers commonly lose muscle mass during training and combat operations that produce large energy deficits (i.e., calories burned \> calories consumed). Developing new combat ration products that increase energy intake (i.e., energy dense foods) or the amount and quality of protein consumed (i.e., essential amino acid \[EAA\] content) may prevent muscle breakdown and stimulate muscle repair and muscle maintenance during unavoidable energy deficit. The primary objective of this study is to determine the effects of prototype recovery food products that are energy dense or that provide increased amounts of EAAs (anabolic component of dietary protein) on energy balance, whole-body net protein balance, and indices of physiological status during strenuous winter military training.
- Detailed Description
Up to 96 Norwegian Soldiers participating in a winter training exercise at the Garrison in Sør-Varanger (GSV) will be enrolled in an approximately 11-day, randomized controlled study. Participants will be randomly assigned at the beginning of the training exercise to groups provided 3 Norwegian Army arctic combat rations and approximately 1500 supplemental calories from food products with increased energy density (EN-DENSE), increased essential amino acids (EAA), or low energy density (CONTROL) each day. Participants will be instructed to consume all of the supplemental food products provided to them and consume the arctic combat rations ad libitum. The effect of consuming EN-DENSE, EAA, or CONTROL food products during strenuous military training on physiological status and recovery will be assessed using dietary analysis, stable isotope methodologies, physical performance measures, gut health analyses, blood sampling, and questionnaires. This design will test the hypothesis that 1) EN-DENSE ration products will attenuate the energy deficit during the training, thereby limiting whole-body protein losses and decrements in physiological status; and 2) the protein-sparing benefit of EAA will limit whole-body protein loss regardless of the energy deficit.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 68
Male and female Norwegian Soldiers aged 18 years or older participating in the winter training exercise at the Garrison in Sør-Varanger.
- Any injury or health condition limiting full participation in the training program.
- Allergies or intolerance to foods used in the study (including but not limited to lactose intolerance/milk allergy) or vegetarian practices.
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description EAA-enhanced food products EAA Consume approximately 1500 calories of EAA-enhanced food products plus ad libitum consumption of 3 combat rations each day during training. Energy dense food products Energy Dense Consume approximately 1500 calories of energy dense food products plus ad libitum consumption of 3 combat rations each day during training. Control food products Control Consume approximately 1500 calories of low energy dense food products plus ad libitum consumption of 3 combat rations each day during training.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Protein balance 10 hours Use stable isotope methodologies to measure whole-body protein balance
Energy Expenditure 8 days Use stable isotope methodologies to measure energy expenditure during the training exercise.
Energy intake 8 days Use food logs and collect food wrappers to measure energy intake during the training exercise.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Intestinal Permeability 24 hours Use dual sugar test (i.e., sucralose and erythritol) to measure intestinal permeability
Gut microbiome composition Study days -1 and 9 Measure changes in fecal bacterial community, diversity, and relative abundance
Vertical jump Study day 0 and 9 Measure changes in physical performance as determined by a vertical jump test
Pull Strength Test Study day 0 and 9 Measure changes in physical performance as determined by a pull strength test
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
Garrison in Sør-Varanger
🇳🇴Kirkenes, Norway