Effects of Replacing Red Meat With Legumes on Biomarkers of Chronic Diseases in Healthy Men (Leg4Life)

Effects of Replacing Red and Processed Meat With Legume-based Foods on Nutrient Intake, Nutritional Status, Food Consumption, and Biomarkers of Cardiovascular Diseases, Colorectal Cancer, and Type 2 Diabetes in Healthy Working Age Men

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of partial replacement of red meat with legume-based foods on gut metabolism and markers for colorectal cancer as well as markers for cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes in healthy working age men. The study participants will be stratified into two groups with different amounts of red meat in diet: 1) a diet containing 760 g of cooked and boneless red meat, supplying 25% of daily protein intake and 2) a diet supplying 20% of protein intake with legume-based foods and 5% of protein intake with red meat. The participants will get all meat and and legume-based foods from the research center; otherwise they will be asked to follow their habitual diet. Blood, urine, and stool samples will be collected at the baseline and at the end of the 6 week intervention, as well as BMI, blood pressure and body composition. Nutrient intake and food consumption will be analyzed from 4-day food records at the baseline and at the end of the intervention period.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Cardiovascular Diseases; Colorectal Cancer; Type2 Diabetes
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: Partial replacement of red meat with legume-based foods

Detailed Description

A human intervention study with healthy volunteers will be carried out to investigate the effects of partial replacement of red meat with legume-based foods on gut metabolism and markers for colorectal cancer as well as biomarkers for cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes.

The study will be done in parallel-design, randomized fashion, with healthy male volunteers aged 20-65 years. Inclusion and exclusion criteria are described elsewhere. Duration of the intervention will be 6 weeks.

Intervention groups will be as follows (n=50/group):

Group 1: The habitual diet of participants is supplemented with 760 g of cooked and boneless red meat per week, representing the average meat consumption of Finnish men and supplying 25% of protein intake.

Group 2: The habitual diet of participants is supplemented with legume-based foods providing equal amount of protein as 560 g of red meat and 200 g of red meat per week.

The consumption of red meat and legumes will be kept stable throughout the intervention and participants are advised to avoid consuming any red meat or legumes in addition to those provided from the research center. The investigators also aim to investigate, whether replacing red meat with legumes induces other changes in diet. This information is be important if increasing legume consumption is recommended at the population level.

Before starting the intervention, participants will get dietary advice how to follow their diets. They will get the red meat and legume-based foods for free to help to implement the diets and to enhance compliance.

Blood, urine and fecal samples will be collected at the baseline and at the end of the intervention. Nutrient intake and food consumption during the intervention will be analyzed from 4-day food records at the baseline and at the end. Nutrient intakes will be calculated using a new Finnish 'Aromi' software.

The following data collection and analyses will be carried out at the baseline and at the end of the intervention period:

• height, weight, waist and hip circumferences
• body composition by bioelectrical impedance analysis
• resting blood pressure
• fasting lipid profile in the plasma (total cholesterol, LDL and HDL, triglycerides)
• fasting glucose and insulin, HbA1c in the blood
• high sensitive C-reactive protein
• markers for nutritional status in plasma/serum: hemoglobin, transferrin receptor, ferritin, vitamin B12, folate, vitamin D
• urea/nitrogen in the urine
• total and heme-based N-nitroso compounds in feces, concentrations of bile acids, gut microbiota

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 100
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Finland
  • Helsinki, Finland
    • Department of Food and Nutrition, University of Helsinki

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 20 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Male

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy
• Omnivorous
• No exclusion criteria listed below

Exclusion Criteria:

• Vegan
• Food allergies against ingredients in foods supplemented in the study
• Oral medication for any allergies
• Regular use of food supplements
• Extreme sports
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Colon irritable
• Coeliac disease
• Any kind of cancer within 5 years
• Continuous antibiotics or less than 3 months of the latest antibiotics use
• Type 1 or 2 diabetes
• Hypercholesterolemia
• Hormonal, liver or kidney disease
• Alcohol consumption more than 24 measures per week
• Smoking, using snuff

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Red meat supplementation providing 25% of protein intake; A diet supplemented with 760 g of cooked and boneless red meat per week, corresponding the average consumption of red meat in Finnish men.	Dietary supplement: Partial replacement of red meat with legume-based foods; 560 g of cooked and boneless red meat is replaced with legume-based foods providing the equal amount of protein.
Experimental: Red meat mostly replaced with legume-based foods; A diet supplemented with legume-based foods providing 20% of protein intake and with 200 g per week of red meat providing 5% of protein intake.	Dietary supplement: Partial replacement of red meat with legume-based foods; 560 g of cooked and boneless red meat is replaced with legume-based foods providing the equal amount of protein.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Changes in the composition of gut microbiota as a measure of modification of dietary protein composition.	The composition of gut microbiota is measured using HITChip phylogenetic microarray.	6 weeks
Changes in the concentrations of plasma lipids as a measure of diet modification.	The changes in the concentrations of total, LDL, and HDL cholesterol as well as plasma triglycerides.	6 weeks
Changes in the intake of nutrients and nutritional status of participants as a measure of diet modification.	The changes in the markers for nutritional status in plasma/serum: hemoglobin, transferrin receptor, ferritin, vitamin B12, folate. The intake of nutrients is calculated from 4-day food records.	6 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Changes in the concentrations of N-nitroso compounds in feces.	The changes in gut microbiota are analyzed as a measure of diet modification.	6 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Helsinki
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Anne-Maria Pajari, PhD, University of Helsinki

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 25, 2020
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): March 1, 2023
• Study Completion (Anticipated): December 1, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 19, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 19, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): October 23, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 18, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 17, 2022
• Last Verified: May 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: colorectal cancer; cardiovascular diseases; diet; plant protein; legumes; animal protein; type2 diabetes; red meat
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Digestive System Diseases; Glucose Metabolism Disorders; Metabolic Diseases; Neoplasms; Neoplasms by Site; Endocrine System Diseases; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms; Digestive System Neoplasms; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Diabetes Mellitus; Colonic Diseases; Intestinal Diseases; Intestinal Neoplasms; Rectal Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Colorectal Neoplasms
• Other Study ID Numbers: Leg4Life-HY

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No
• IPD Plan Description: The data collected is confidential and cannot be shared.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No