Effect of Co-consuming Different Dietary Protein Sources With Salad on the Bioavailability of Carotenoids

August 30, 2026 updated by: Jung Eun Kim, National University of Singapore

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if different protein types will affect carotenoid responses in humans when co-consumed with salad. The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • What are the effect of dietary protein co-consumption with salad on postprandial carotenoid levels in Singapore adults?
  • Do different whole-food protein sources enhance the bioavailability of carotenoids in Singapore adults?

Participants will:

Consume salad with a form of protein (chicken, tuna, egg, soybean) Have their postprandial plasma carotenoid and triglyceride outcomes evaluated

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This study will be a single-blind, randomized, crossover acute trial, and all participants will complete an approximately 3-month study period. A total of 19 participants will be recruited and go through all 5 arms (4 intervention and 1 control), with the order randomized. The study will comprise 1 screening visit and 5 test visits, with another 5 compliance visits.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

19

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 Contact

Study Locations

      • Singapore, Singapore, 117542
        • NUS, Department of Food Science and Technology, 1 Science Drive 3, Block S13, #03-07, Singapore, 117542
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Jung Eun Kim, Ph.D., R.D.
        • Contact:

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

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. English-literate and able to give informed consent
  2. Singaporean Adults aged 21 to 45 (inclusive)
  3. Body mass index of 18.5 to 23.0 kg/m2 (inclusive)
  4. At least 50 kg
  5. Healthy (based on screening results)

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Currently participating in another clinical study that involves altering regular diet and/or involves consuming a dietary supplement or investigated food product as an intervention
  2. High blood pressure (≥ 140/90 mmHg)
  3. Underlying health conditions that may affect metabolic functions
  4. Consuming carotenoid supplements regularly (i.e., more than three times a week) for the past 3 months, and not willing to discontinue consumption 3 months before and during the study duration
  5. Weight change > 3 kg in the past 3 months
  6. Exercising vigorously over the past 3 months (i.e., engaging in high-intensity exercises for more than 3 hours a week, where high-intensity exercises leave one out of breath and unable to talk or sing during the workout)
  7. Current smokers or have quit smoking for less than 5 years
  8. Drinking > 2 alcoholic drinks per day (i.e., one drink is defined as either 150 ml of wine, 340 ml of beer/cider or 45 ml of distilled spirit)
  9. If drinking ≤ 2 alcoholic drinks per day, not willing to stop consumption of alcoholic beverages two days before and on the day of the test visits
  10. Not willing to stop consumption of caffeinated beverages 10 to 12 hours before and on the day of the test visits
  11. Currently on a specialised diet (e.g., vegetarian, vegan, weight loss diet)
  12. Had serious food allergies in the past, or having intolerance, sensitivities or allergies to any of the following: soy/soy-derived products, eggs, fish and crustaceans, starch/starch-derived products (e.g., rice, corn, wheat, potato), gluten
  13. Disease or impairment of the liver
  14. Currently diagnosed with diabetes, gastrointestinal issues (e.g., lactose intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome), gout and/or G6PD deficiency
  15. Taking antibiotics 2 weeks prior to study participation
  16. Taking anti-hypertensive or cholesterol-lowering drugs for less than 3 years unless medically declared by an official doctor to be in stable condition
  17. Poor peripheral venous access based on past experiences with blood drawing
  18. Individuals with pacemaker or related electrical medical devices
  19. Pregnant, lactating, or planning pregnancy in the next 6 months
  20. Have donated blood (whole blood or apheresis) or participated in any other clinical study or trial requiring blood draws within the last 3 months
  21. Clinical anemia (hemoglobin <12.0 g/dL in women and <13.0 g/dL in men)

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: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: Salad only
Salad only (no protein)
Control group, consumption of only salad
Experimental: Salad + Chicken
Salad with chicken
Consumption of salad with chicken
Experimental: Salad + Tuna
Salad with tuna
Consumption of salad with tuna
Experimental: Salad + Egg
Salad with egg
Consumption of salad with egg
Experimental: Salad + Soybean
Salad with soybeans
Consumption of salad with soybean

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Concentration of plasma carotenoids
Time Frame: From start of salad consumption to the end of acute period (8 hours)
Concentration of plasma carotenoids hourly
From start of salad consumption to the end of acute period (8 hours)
Concentration of blood triglycerides
Time Frame: From start of salad consumption to the end of acute period (8 hours)
Postprandial triglyceride response
From start of salad consumption to the end of acute period (8 hours)

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Jung Eun Kim, Ph.D., R.D., National University of Singapore, Department of Food Science and Technology

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 (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

February 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

February 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 26, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 26, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

August 31, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 2, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 30, 2026

Last Verified

August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • S37
  • NUS-IRB-2026-590 (Other Identifier: National University of Singapore Institutional Review Board (NUS IRB))

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Electronic copies of the data with identifiable participant information will be kept on NUS OneDrive with access limited only to Dr Kim Jung Eun and her research staff. All data will be de-identified prior to statistical analyses.

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.