Protein Source on Plasma Amino Acid Concentrations

Effect of Consuming Ounce Equivalent Portions of Fresh Pork Versus Nuts, Beans, and Eggs as Defined by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans on Essential Amino Acid Substrate Availability for Protein Anabolism

This study will determine the effect of the same ounce-equivalents of fresh pork versus nuts, beans, and eggs on postprandial plasma essential amino acid availability in adults. Each participant will receive all four treatments.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Protein Deposition
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Pork; Other: Egg; Other: Black beans; Other: Almonds

Detailed Description

The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans stipulates how much Protein Foods should be consumed per day and per week as part of a Healthy U.S.-Style Eating Pattern. The predominant protein sources include lean meats, poultry, and eggs, however, nuts, seeds, and soy products are also included. Ounce-equivalents (oz-eq) are used as a standard unit of measure to compare animal to non-animal protein sources. One oz-eq of lean meat (1 oz) is equal to 0.5 oz of nuts (1 oz-eq), 0.25 cups (1 oz-eq) of beans, and one whole egg (1 oz-eq). One limitation of this unit of measure is that the protein quantity and quality of the foods are not considered. For example, 1 oz-eq of pork loin contains ~7 g of dietary protein whereas 1 oz-eq of almonds contains 3 g of protein. Consequently, consuming an oz-eq portion of protein foods from different sources could have different effects on the anabolic response to feeding. The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of consuming ounce equivalent portions of fresh pork versus nuts, beans, and eggs on essential amino acid substrate availability for protein anabolism. While it would seem intuitive that this research would show that higher protein intakes from pork and egg will lead to higher plasma essential amino acid responses, this research is paramount to addressing the shortcoming of using oz-eq to achieve the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommendations for Protein Foods. This research will serve as an important resource for future Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committees to reevaluate the appropriateness of equating animal- and plant-based Protein Foods on the current ounce-equivalent basis.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 30
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Indiana
    • West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, 47905
      • Purdue University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 25 years to 39 years (ADULT)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male or female
• Age 25-39
• BMI 25-35 kg∙m-2
• Weight stable (± 4.5 kg) 3 months pre-study
• Not acutely ill
• Not diabetic
• Not pregnant or lactating
• Not currently (or within 3 months pre-study) following a vigorous exercise regimen
• Non-smoking
• Willing to consume study foods and travel to testing facilities.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: DIAGNOSTIC
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Interventional Model: CROSSOVER
• Masking: DOUBLE

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: Pork; 1 ounce lean pork	Other: Pork; 1 oz lean pork
ACTIVE_COMPARATOR: Egg; 1 large whole egg	Other: Egg; 1 large whole egg
EXPERIMENTAL: Black beans; 0.5 cups cooked black beans	Other: Black beans; 0.5 cups cooked black beans
EXPERIMENTAL: Almonds; 1 ounce almonds	Other: Almonds; 1 oz almonds

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Plasma amino acid concentrations	Plasma samples will be drawn at times 0, 30, 60, 120, 180, 240, and 300 minutes after the consumption of the trial meal.	5 hours

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Purdue University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (ACTUAL): August 24, 2018
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): March 31, 2020
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): March 31, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 24, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 24, 2018
• First Posted (ACTUAL): August 28, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ACTUAL): July 16, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 15, 2020
• Last Verified: July 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 1804020520

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