Protein Eating Patterns and Weight Loss

April 11, 2025 updated by: USDA Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center

Effect of Daily Protein Intake Patterns During Weight Loss on Dietary Adherence and Body Composition in Women

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of daily protein intake patterns on body composition and eating behaviors during weight loss.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

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

The reinforcing value of food varies greatly among individuals, but is strongest for those who are overweight or obese. Reducing energy intake, which is necessary for overweight and obese individuals to achieve a healthier body weight, increases the reinforcing value of food - especially for energy-dense snack foods. Food is a powerful reinforcer and is associated with energy intake; making it a primary contributing factor to an individual's weight loss struggle. Developing a way to decrease or limit the increase in food reinforcement during energy deficits would have important clinical impact. High-protein diets are known to be efficacious for weight loss and recently have been shown to decrease stimulation of the reward areas of the brain that stimulate reward-driven eating behavior. Nonetheless, sustaining a high-protein diet can be difficult, especially for women. Consuming a modest amount of protein at each meal may be better tolerated. However, we do not know whether this pattern of protein intake can assist women in staying "on track" with weight loss goals. This study will help begin to elucidate the connections between the daily pattern of protein intake on diet adherence, alterations in food reinforcement, and favorable body composition changes during weight loss.

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 (Actual)

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.
45

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

  • United States
    • North Dakota
      • Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States, 58203
        • USDA Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center

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

20 years to 44 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • BMI 28-45 kg/m2

Exclusion Criteria:

  • unable or unwilling to consume animal products
  • unable or unwilling to attend treatment group meetings
  • had more than a 10% change in body weight in the 2 months prior to study start date
  • consuming a specialized diet
  • have a history of and eating or gastrointestinal disorder
  • currently or planning on becoming pregnant during the study timeline
  • lactating
  • have an uncontrolled metabolic illness/disease (fasting glucose >125 mg/dL)
  • have uncontrolled hypertension (>160/99 mm Hg)
  • have cancer or in short-term remission (less than 3 years)
  • have an infectious disease
  • suffer from alcohol or drug abuse
  • use tobacco and/or e-cigarette products on a regular basis
  • taking medications known to affect energy expenditure and appetite

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: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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: Even protein intake
Menu to provide 90 g of protein per day in an even distribution of 30 g at each meal.
Other: Even protein
Intake of even protein 5 day rotating menu
Experimental: Skewed protein intake
Menu to provide 90 g of protein per day in a skewed distribution of 10 g at breakfast, 15 g at lunch and 65 g at dinner.
Other: Skewed protein
Intake of skewed protein 5 day rotating menu

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
Body Composition
Time Frame: 8 and 16 weeks
Determine the effects of two patterns of daily protein intake on changes in fat mass and fat-free mass during weight loss.
8 and 16 weeks
Diet Adherence
Time Frame: 16 weeks
Determine the effects of two patterns of daily protein intake on weight loss diet adherence and putative mediators (satisfaction, satiety, hunger, and reinforcing value of energy dense foods) of adherence.
16 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
Barriers to weight control
Time Frame: 1 hour
Nominal Group Technique results providing an exhaustive list of barriers to weight control in overweight and obese women
1 hour
Change in skeletal muscle protein breakdown
Time Frame: 8 and 16 weeks
The effect of consuming two patterns of daily protein intake on 3-Methylhistidine degradation, a biochemcial marker of skeletal muscle protein breakdown
8 and 16 weeks
Circulating carotenoid levels
Time Frame: 8 and 16 weeks
The effect of consuming two patterns of protein intake during weight loss on circulating carotenoid levels.
8 and 16 weeks
Relative reinforcing value (RRV) of food
Time Frame: 8 and 16 weeks
The effect of consuming two patterns of daily protein intake during weight loss on the RRV of energy-dense snack food
8 and 16 weeks
Change in bone turnover
Time Frame: 8 and 16 weeks
The effect of consuming two patterns of daily protein intake during weight loss on osteocalcin, alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase, and collagen cross-link molecules -- biochemical markers of bone formation and resorption
8 and 16 weeks
Plasma lipids
Time Frame: 8 and 16 weeks
The effect of consuming two patterns of daily protein intake during weight loss on lipid and triglyceride molecular speciation.
8 and 16 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.
USDA Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center

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.
North Dakota Beef Commission

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Shanon Casperson, PhD, USDA Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center

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.

Helpful Links

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)

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.
October 2, 2017

Primary Completion (Actual)

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.
April 14, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

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.
April 14, 2023

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).
June 26, 2017

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.
June 26, 2017

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.
June 28, 2017

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.
April 16, 2025

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.
April 11, 2025

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.
April 1, 2025

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.
  • GFHNRC510

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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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