Diet and Health in Adults With Metabolic Syndrome (MAPS)

The Effect of a Higher Protein, Lower Glycemic Load Diet Containing Potato or Potato-based Products on Metabolic Health in Adults With Metabolic Syndrome

The prevalence of US adults with Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is over 34%, impacting nearly 35% of all adults and 50% of those aged 60 years or older. MetS is characterized as a combination of underlying risk factors that when, occurring together, increase the risk for chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), cardiovascular disease, stroke, and certain types of cancer, resulting in an 1.6-fold increase in mortality. According the American Heart Association, health risks associated with Metabolic Syndrome can be significantly reduced by reducing body weight and eating a diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Potatoes (e.g. skin-on white potatoes) are an excellent source of potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin B6 and a good source of magnesium and dietary fiber. In addition, the potato has greater dry matter and protein per unit growing area compared with cereals. Despite this, consumers tend to believe that potatoes are high in calories and in fat compared with other carbohydrate sources such as rice or pasta, an incorrect assumption since a potato has negligible fat and a low energy density similar to legumes. Data from short-term nutrition intervention trials, suggest that potatoes consumed as part of a low-glycemic load meal can play a role in the prevention or treatment of MetS. However, the impact of long-term potato consumption on cardiometabolic risk factors associated with MetS is not known. Therefore, there is a critical need to determine if regular (> 4 times per week) potato consumption can improve cardiometabolic health in individuals with MetS.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Metabolic Syndrome
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: Higher protein, low glycemic load diet

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 90
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Arkansas
    • Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States, 72704
      • University of Arkansas

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 85 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Resides in Northwest Arkansas
• Age 18+ years
• Metabolic Syndrome (characterized by participant having three or more of the following measurements: abdominal obesity, triglyceride level over 150 mg/dl, HDL cholesterol < 40 mg/dl in men and 50 mg/dl in women, systolic blood pressure of 130 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure of 85 mm Hg, and/or fasting glucose > 100 mg/dL)
• All ethnicities
• Female and male
• Currently consuming a high glycemic load diet

Exclusion Criteria:

• Food allergies
• Dietary restrictions (e.g. vegetarian, vegan, etc.)
• Trying to lose weight in last 3 months
• Prescription medications related to heart disease or type 2 diabetes
• Fear of needles

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Higher Protein, Low Glycemic Load with Potatoes; Higher Protein, Low Glycemic Load with Potatoes (HPLG-P): low- to moderate- glycemic load meals containing white potatoes. Participants will consume low- to moderate-glycemic meals for 16 weeks and will need to consume at least 4 meals containing white potatoes.	Dietary supplement: Higher protein, low glycemic load diet; All dietary treatments will be designed to be isoenergetic within individual participants. Energy content of the diets will be individualized to ensure weight maintenance throughout the dietary intervention period using the Harris Benedict equation x 1.35. Glycemic load for the treatment groups will be calculated using the following equation: Glycemic Load = Glycemic Index x Grams of carbohydrates/100. Potatoes, processed potato products, and control carbohydrate foods will be provided.
Active Comparator: Higher Protein, Low Glycemic Load with Processed Potatoes; Higher Protein, Low Glycemic Load with Processed Potatoes (HPLG-PP): low- to moderate- glycemic load meals containing processed white potato products. Participants will consume low- to moderate-glycemic meals for 16 weeks and will need to consume at least 4 meals containing white potatoes.	Dietary supplement: Higher protein, low glycemic load diet; All dietary treatments will be designed to be isoenergetic within individual participants. Energy content of the diets will be individualized to ensure weight maintenance throughout the dietary intervention period using the Harris Benedict equation x 1.35. Glycemic load for the treatment groups will be calculated using the following equation: Glycemic Load = Glycemic Index x Grams of carbohydrates/100. Potatoes, processed potato products, and control carbohydrate foods will be provided.
Placebo Comparator: Higher Protein, Low Glycemic Load - Control; Higher Protein, Low Glycemic Load (HPLG-C): low- to moderate- glycemic load meals containing control carbohydrate (e.g. rice, pasta). Participants will consume low- to moderate-glycemic meals for 16 weeks and will need to consume at least 4 meals containing control carbohydrate sources.	Dietary supplement: Higher protein, low glycemic load diet; All dietary treatments will be designed to be isoenergetic within individual participants. Energy content of the diets will be individualized to ensure weight maintenance throughout the dietary intervention period using the Harris Benedict equation x 1.35. Glycemic load for the treatment groups will be calculated using the following equation: Glycemic Load = Glycemic Index x Grams of carbohydrates/100. Potatoes, processed potato products, and control carbohydrate foods will be provided.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Serum lipid levels	Total Cholesterol, LDL-Cholesterol, HDL-Cholesterol, Free Fatty Acids, Triglycerides	Change from baseline at 16 weeks
Plasma glucose levels	Plasma glucose levels	Change from baseline at 16 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Waist circumference	Waist circumference in centimeters	Change from baseline at 16 weeks
Dietary intake	Monthly food records will be recorded to determine changes in diet intake	Change of time of study (16 weeks)
Mood	Mood will be measured using the Profile of Mood States questionnaire	Change from baseline at 16 weeks
Sleep quality and duration	Sleep quality will be assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index	Change from baseline at 16 weeks
Sleep duration	Sleep duration will be assessed using an Actigraph sleep monitor	Change from baseline at 16 weeks
Marker of appetite and sleep	Orexin (also known as hypocretin)	Change from baseline at 16 weeks
Appetite	Anorexigenic appetite hormone - PYY (peptide tyrosine tyrosine)	Change from baseline at 16 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 1, 2019
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 31, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 26, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 30, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): May 2, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): August 26, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 19, 2025
• Last Verified: August 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Metabolic Diseases; Glucose Metabolism Disorders; Insulin Resistance; Hyperinsulinism; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Metabolic Syndrome
• Other Study ID Numbers: 1901172168

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
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No