Methylselenocysteine Effects on Circadian Rhythm

September 11, 2017 updated by: Howard M. Kipen, MD, MPH, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Chemoprevention of Breast and Prostate Cancers in Shift Workers by Dietary Methylselenocysteine: Effects on Circadian Rhythm and Estrogen Receptor-B Cycling

The primary objective of this study is to determine if vitamin supplementation with a naturally occurring dietary amino acid called organic selenium (i.e., methylselenocysteine) can restore disruption of circadian rhythm in shift workers.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

All living cells have a circadian (daily) rhythm which controls a variety of bodily functions that change throughout the day, including body temperature, sleep, hunger, activity, hormone levels, etc. The circadian rhythm of the body is controlled by the amount of light that enters our eyes, so on our planet the length of the rhythm is 24 hours long. It is therefore reasonable to suspect that upsetting the timing of the rhythm would lead to changes in body function (as commonly experienced in "jet lag") and that prolonged changes might even lead to alterations in bodily functions and contribute to disease. This suggests that people whose service to the community that requires that they often work at night (nurses, doctors, police, hospital staff, firefighters, airline crews, factory workers, etc), might be at elevated risk of developing diseases. Studies have shown that women who do shift work have an elevated risk of breast cancer, probably as a result of altered hormone levels and cycling. Other studies have shown that vitamin supplementation with a naturally occurring dietary amino acid called organic selenium (i.e., methylselenocysteine) can restore this disrupted rhythm and possibly decrease this disease risk. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate whether taking daily selenium (i.e., methylselenocysteine) will restore the disrupted circadian rhythm in shift workers.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

100

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

    • New Jersey
      • Piscataway, New Jersey, United States, 08854
        • Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences 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

21 years to 60 years (ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Permanent night shift schedule

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Nutritional supplements that contain selenium
  • Pregnant
  • Breast feeding
  • Heart conditions
  • Chronic lung disease
  • Cancer therapy (current or past)

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: RANDOMIZED
  • Interventional Model: PARALLEL
  • Masking: TRIPLE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
PLACEBO_COMPARATOR: Placebo
Placebo given daily
Placebo capsule given daily
EXPERIMENTAL: Methylselenocysteine
Methylselenocysteine given daily
Methylselenocysteine capsule given daily

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Determine if selenium (i.e., methylselenocysteine) supplementation can restore disruption of circadian rhythm and estrogen receptor-B levels in shift workers
Time Frame: 30 days
30 days

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Howard M. Kipen, MD, MPH, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
  • Study Chair: Helmut Zarbl, MD, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

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

October 1, 2011

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

July 1, 2013

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

June 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 18, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 30, 2012

First Posted (ESTIMATE)

June 4, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ACTUAL)

September 12, 2017

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 11, 2017

Last Verified

September 1, 2017

More Information

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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