Determination of Threonine Requirements in Healthy School-aged Children

February 10, 2020 updated by: Rajavel Elango, PhD, University of British Columbia

Determination of Threonine Requirements and the Metabolic Availability of Threonine From Food Sources in Healthy School-aged Children

Threonine is an indispensable amino acid (nutrient containing nitrogen), which cannot be made in the body and must be consumed from food. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein in your body, and need to be eaten in required amounts to maintain health and growth. Deficiency in threonine can affect small intestine growth due to its structural importance in the intestinal protein mucin. While threonine is found in many foods, deficiency can occur in developing countries where nutrition is primarily plant based, and low in available protein.

Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the requirement of the indispensable amino acid Threonine, in school-aged children (6-10y). Secondly, we wish to determine the availability of threonine from three test proteins (soy, green pea, casein).

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The threonine intake requirement for children are based on factorial calculations. In the current study we will use a new and modern technique, the indicator amino acid oxidation technique (IAAO), to determine threonine requirements in children.

This technique is a newer technique which involves the consumption of protein shakes composed of specific amounts of threonine mixed with a stable isotope tracer. The oxidation of this isotope will be measured in urine and breath to determine a breakpoint (requirement) of threonine.

Determining the requirement for threonine, as well as the availability of threonine from various food products will help us to develop better food recommendations for children.

Research Method This study will be carried out in a repeated measures design. Participants will be recruited and screened for eligibility. Six participants will be brought in for 6 testing visits with reference amino acid, where they will be randomized to a level of threonine intake. A further 3 visits will be carried out during which participants will be randomized to a level of threonine consumption derived from alternative proteins (casein, soy, peas) which is at a threshold below the requirement for threonine to determine availability.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

6

Phase

  • 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 Locations

    • British Columbia
      • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V5Z4H4
        • BC Children's Hospital Research Institute

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

Ages Eligible for Study

2 years to 6 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Children between 6 and 10 Y
  • No history of chronic disease or metabolic disorders
  • No food allergies
  • No recent illness or antibiotic consumption
  • Children with a normal, healthy, body weight (between 3rd and 85th percentiles for their age group for weight) (Dietitians of Canada, 2015)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Children under 6 years' old
  • Children over 10 years' old
  • Children with a history of disease or metabolic disorders
  • Children with any food allergies
  • Children taking prescription medication
  • Children with a history of being underweight, overweight, or obese (Dietitians of Canada, 2015; Onis et al., 2007)

    o Below 3rd percentile for weight, Above 85th percentile for weight

  • Female children who have commenced menstruation

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: Basic Science
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Protein Intake
Threonine intake - Dietary supplement

Oral consumption of eight hourly experimental meals

  • 4 tracer free experimental meals containing a mixture of free amino acids and calories from protein free flavoured liquid, protein free cookies and corn oil
  • 4 isotopically labeled experimental meals.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
13 Co2 production
Time Frame: 8 hours (1 study day)
Urine and breath samples will be collected during the study day, to measure the rate of oxidation of tracer phenylalanine in the expired breath, and flux enrichment in urine.
8 hours (1 study day)

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Rajavel Elango, Ph.D, University of British Columbia

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 (Actual)

May 26, 2016

Primary Completion (Actual)

July 5, 2017

Study Completion (Actual)

October 1, 2017

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 18, 2016

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 18, 2016

First Posted (Estimate)

January 21, 2016

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 11, 2020

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 10, 2020

Last Verified

February 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • H15-02691

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

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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