Effect of Dairy Protein Yogourt vs Plant-based Yogourt on Body Weight, Body Composition, Bone Health and Gut Microbiota (PROYO)

May 5, 2026 updated by: André Marette, Laval University

A New Focus on Protein and the Gut Microbiota to Explain Health Benefits of Dairy Foods

The consumption of an adequate quantity of protein in the diet is essential to maintain a healthy body composition and functioning. It is also well established that all proteins are not equal regarding their ability to promote health benefits. Recently, we have innovated in that matter by showing that under the context of high intake of dietary fat, the dairy protein casein was more effective than a mix of proteins representative of a western diet to prevent body weight gain and insulin resistance. This was explained in part by modifications of the gut microbiota. This finding represents the main conceptual basis of the present research program that is aimed to determine the impact of dairy protein from yogurt compared to a plant-based equivalent on body composition indicators including muscle mass and bone mineral density, in relation to the profile of the gut microbiota, the production of newly discovered protein-derived metabolites, and markers of metabolic health. This program will include a human and an animal component requiring the testing of these variables before and after a standardized intervention. The human component will be a clinical study consisting of a 12-week diet-based weight loss intervention in postmenopausal overweight women being randomly assigned to one of the three following groups: yogurt, plant-based yogurt, or kept on diet without supplements. The animal experimentation will permit to causally determine the implication of the gut microbiota in the protein effects following transfer of the human bacteria to germ free mice and validate the benefits seen in humans. It is anticipated that these two complementary investigative approaches will allow a thorough documentation of the impact of fermented dairy protein on body composition and functioning, a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms, and the identification of new biomarkers to better appreciate related health benefits.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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.
75

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

  • Canada
    • Quebec
      • Québec, Quebec, Canada, G1V 0A6
        • Recruiting
        • INAF, Université Laval
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • André Marette, PhD

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Postmenopausal women (absence of menstruation for at least 1 year and FSH > 40 IU/L)
  • BMI between 27.0 and 39.9 kg/m²
  • Sedentary or moderately active

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Body weight change greater than 5 kg in the 3 months preceding the study
  • Currently dieting or following specific dietary patterns
  • Previous or planned bariatric surgery
  • Food allergies or intolerances (particularly dairy proteins and lactose)
  • Serious or problematic health conditions (e.g., renal insufficiency, diabetes, Cushing's disease, Paget's disease, parathyroid disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, uncontrolled thyroid disease, etc.)
  • Fracture within the past year
  • Hormone therapy
  • Medications affecting bone metabolism (e.g., osteoporosis treatments, anti-estrogen therapy for breast cancer, epilepsy treatments)
  • Antibiotic use within the 6 months preceding the study
  • Use of probiotic supplements (capsules)
  • More than two alcoholic drinks per day
  • Smoking
  • Drug abuse

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: Prevention
  • 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: Dairy yogurt
Dietary supplement: Dairy yogurt
Dairy yogurt: two serving daily
Active Comparator: Plant-based yogurt
Dietary supplement: Plant based yogurt
Plant based yogurt: two servings daily
Placebo Comparator: No yogurt
Dietary supplement: No yogurt
No yogurt: zero serving yogurt

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 in bone health
Time Frame: At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Assessment of bone mineral density using Dual X-ray Absorptiometry scan
At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Change in bone health
Time Frame: At baseline and at the end of the intrevention (12 weeks)
Assessment of bone turnover biomarkers (osteocalcin, c-telopeptide, Amino terminal propeptide of type 1 procollagen) (all in ng\mL)
At baseline and at the end of the intrevention (12 weeks)
Change in gut microbiota
Time Frame: At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Assessment of global variation of the fecal microbiota
At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Change in gut microbiota function
Time Frame: At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Assessment of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) in feces
At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 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 in body weight
Time Frame: At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Change in anthropometric measures
Time Frame: At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Assessment of body mass index (BMI) using weight and height. These two measurements will be combined to calculate BMI in kg/m2
At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Change in anthropometric measure
Time Frame: At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Assessment of waist circumference
At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Change in body composition
Time Frame: At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Assessment of changes in lean mass, fat mass and visceral fat mass (all in grams) using body composition by Dual X-ray Absorptiometry scan
At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Change in skeletal muscle health
Time Frame: At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
muscle strength using handgrip strength tool (kg)
At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Change in skeletal muscle health
Time Frame: At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Assessment of physical performance using Timed Up and go Test
At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Change in skeletal muscle health
Time Frame: At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Assessment of functionnal capicity using 6-minute walk test)
At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Change in Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)
Time Frame: At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Change in RMR using Calorimetry Device
At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Change in Appetite and Satiety
Time Frame: At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Assessment of leptin and ghrelin (both with same units of measurement)
At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Change in Appetite and Satiety
Time Frame: At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Assessment of appetite and satiety using visual analog scale
At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Change in Eating behaviors
Time Frame: At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Assessment of eating behaviors using Food Cravings Questionnaire (FCQ-T)
At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Change in glycemia
Time Frame: At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Assessment of fasting glucose concentration
At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Change in insulinemia
Time Frame: At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Assessment of fasting insulin concentration
At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Change in lipid profile
Time Frame: At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Assessment of triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol
At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Change in blood pressure
Time Frame: At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Assessment of systolic and diastolic blood pressure
At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Change in chronic inflammation
Time Frame: At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 weeks)
Assessment of plasma high sensitive C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) concentrations
At baseline and at the end of the intervention (12 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.
Laval University

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.
November 1, 2023

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.
June 30, 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 31, 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).
May 5, 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.
May 5, 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.
May 11, 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.
May 11, 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.
May 5, 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.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • PROYO 2022-108

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

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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