Leucine Requirement in Adult Men and Women

Determination of Leucine Requirement in Young Men and Women Using the Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation (IAAO) Method

The purpose of the study is to determine the body's nutritional need for the essential amino acid, leucine, in adult men and women 18 to 39 years of age.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Healthy
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: Leucine

Detailed Description

The experimental design will be based on the minimally invasive IAAO model (12). Each participant will be studied at a minimum of 4 and up to 7, randomly assigned, intake levels of leucine.

Subjects will be weighed at the pre-study assessment and at the start of each IAAO study day to ensure accurate prescription of diets and isotopes, and to confirm weight maintenance throughout the study.

Each study will consist of a 2-day adaptation period to a prescribed diet in accordance with the energy requirement of the subject and 1-study day. The diet will provide an adequate amount of protein, of 1 g protein∙kg-1∙d-1. The 2-day adaptation period is to allow the body to adapt to an adequate amount of protein as it has been shown that protein kinetics is altered without it. Following the 2 days of adaptation is the study day where leucine intake will be randomly assigned and phenylalanine (Phe) kinetics will be measured with the use of L-[1-13C]phenylalanine. On this day, VCO2 will be measured by calorimetry immediately after the 5th meal for a period of 20 minutes, and a 15ml blood sample will be collected at the end of each study visit to measure plasma amino acid levels, insulin, and glucose in males and females and progesterone, and estrogen in females.

For female participants, each level of intake will be studied both in the luteal and follicular phase of their menstrual cycle (up to 14 studies in total). For the follicular phase, the study will be conducted 3-7 days immediately after the 1st day of menstrual bleeding. For the luteal phase, the study will be conducted 4-7 days before the onset of next menstrual bleeding. The IAAO study day of the luteal phase will be set on the basis of each subject's length of their menstrual cycle, and the length and regularity of their cycle will be determined during the pre-study assessment.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 32
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Ontario
    • Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 1X8
      • The Hospital for Sick Children

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 39 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Healthy adult males, 18 to 39 years of age.
2. Healthy adult females, 18 to 39 years of age with regular menstrual cycles within in the last 12 months.
3. Willingness to participate in the study and completed the screening procedures (height, weight, fasting blood sample and medical history questionnaire).
4. No recent history of weight loss
5. BMI between 18.5 - 27 kg/m 2
6. Absence of chronic disease or acute illness that could affect protein and AA metabolism (diabetes, cancer, liver or kidney disease, HIV, acute cold or flu, COVID-19, hypo or hyperthyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis treated with anti-inflammatory medications).
7. Non-smoking
8. Willingness to consume the diet provided.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Presence of disease known to affect protein and AA metabolism (diabetes, cancer, liver or kidney disease, HIV, acute cold or flu, Covid-19, hypo or hyperthyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis treated with anti-inflammatory medications).
2. On medications known to affect protein and amino acid metabolism (steroids) or taking oral contraceptive pills or other birth control devices that would affect sex hormone profiles over the last 2 years.
3. Pregnant or lactating women.
4. Recent significant weight loss; ≥ 5% of body with in the last 3 months.
5. Individuals on weight reducing diets.
6. Inability to tolerate the diet
7. Unwilling to have blood drawn from a venous access, or using a ventilated hood indirect calorimeter for the purposes of the study.
8. Significant coffee consumption of more than 2 cups/day
9. Significant alcohol consumption of more than one drink/day
10. Failure to disclose any of the information needed to assess eligibility.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Leucine intake; For this study, each participant will be randomly assigned to receive up to 7 intake levels of leucine, ranging from 10 to 75 mg/kg/d.	Dietary supplement: Leucine; 7 intake levels of leucine, ranging from 10 to 75 mg/kg/d.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
F13CO2	Rate of appearance of labelled carbon dioxide (13CO2) in breath from the oxidation of 13C-Phenylalanine	4.5 hours during study visits

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
13C-phenylalanine enrichment	urinary 13C-phenylalanine enrichment	4.5 hours during study visits
Plasma amino acid concentrations	To assess the effect of amino amino acid intake on plasma amino acid concentration.	at end of each study visit

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: The Hospital for Sick Children
• Collaborators: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Glenda Courtney-Martin, PhD, RD, The Hospital for Sick Children

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 29, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 31, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): December 31, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 19, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 23, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): May 27, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): February 23, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 21, 2024
• Last Verified: February 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: nutrition; amino acid; Leucine; requirement
• Other Study ID Numbers: 1000078896

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