Skip to main content
Clinical Trials/NCT02004002
NCT02004002CompletedNot Applicable

Dietary Protein Intake, Insulin Sensitivity and β-cell Function

Washington University School of Medicine2 sites in 1 country15 target enrollmentStarted: December 2013Last updated:
Conditions

Trial Snapshot

Phase
Not Applicable
Status
Completed
Enrollment
15
Locations
2
Primary Endpoint
Insulin sensitivity

Study Overview

Brief Summary

The purpose of this proposal is to determine whether dietary protein restriction has beneficial effects on skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity and β-cell function in obese men and women.

Detailed Description

Insulin resistance, impaired pancreatic β-cell function, and diabetes are important complications associated with obesity. Although excess energy intake and body fat accumulation are considered the major culprits responsible for obesity-associated metabolic abnormalities, it is possible that insulin resistance and impaired β-cell function are also due to increased dietary protein intake.

Protein intake is ~15 to 25% greater in obese than lean adults and exceeds the current Institute of Medicine Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of 0.8 g protein/kg body weight by ~75%. An increase in habitual protein intake of only 10 to 40%, assessed using dietary recall methods, been shown to increase the risk of developing diabetes by up to 2.2 fold. Additionally, the ability to stimulate glucose disposal during insulin infusion is reported to be impaired in individuals consuming double the recommended protein intake as part of an isoenergetic diet. However, it is not known whether decreasing protein intake can improve insulin sensitivity and β-cell function in weight-stable, obese individuals.

Accordingly, obese men and women will be randomized to 8 weeks of treatment with a weight maintaining diet containing either i) 0.8 g protein/kg body weight (as recommended by the Institute of Medicine; protein restriction group)or ii) 1.4 g protein/kg body weight (control group). All subjects will receive a standardized "base-diet" with or without protein supplementation to avoid potential food selection bias that could confound the results when using high- and low-protein diets.

Study Design

Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
None

Eligibility Criteria

Ages
18 Years to 65 Years (Adult, Older Adult)
Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Inclusion Criteria

  • Body mass index (BMI) between 30 and 50 kg/m2
  • Subjects who are sedentary (<1.5 h of exercise/week)
  • Subjects with a high habitual protein intake (>1.2 g/kg body mass/day)

Exclusion Criteria

  • Subjects with evidence of significant organ system dysfunction (e.g. diabetes, severe cardiovascular disease, hyperlipidemia, cirrhosis, hypogonadism, uncontrolled hypo- or hyperthyroidism; uncontrolled hypertension)
  • Subjects with metal implants
  • Individuals with cancer or cancer that has been in remission for <5 years,
  • Individuals with dementia,
  • Individuals who use tobacco products,
  • Subjects who are taking medications known to affect glucose metabolism (e.g., steroids),
  • Subjects taking medications to control certain medical conditions (e.g., hypertension) will be included if the drug regimen has been stable for at least 6 months before entering the study and is not expected to change during the study.
  • Women who are pregnant due to changes in body composition and decreases in insulin sensitivity caused by pregnancy

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Insulin sensitivity

Time Frame: up to 8 wk dietary intervention

We will evaluate insulin sensitivity using the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp procedure in conjunction with stable isotope labeled tracer infusions.

total β-cell sensitivity index (Φtotal)

Time Frame: Before and after the 8 wk dietary intervention

The total β-cell sensitivity index assesses the insulin secretion response to changes in plasma glucose concentration following ingestion of a glucose drink.

Secondary Outcomes

  • Disposition index(Before and after the 8 wk dietary intervention)

Investigators

Sponsor Class
Other
Responsible Party
Sponsor

Study Sites (2)

Loading locations...

Similar Trials

Protein Intake & Insulin Action | Clinical Trial