Food Intake, Endocrine Factors and Brown Fat (FoodBAT)

Understanding the Role of Food Intake and Endocrine Factors in Brown Adipose Tissue Function

This study will investigate how the acute intake of foods with high and low hedonic reward differentially affects brown adipose tissue and the interplay between gut peptides, brown fat, and the brain (gut-BAT-brain axis).

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Obesity
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Non-palatable meal; Behavioral: Palatable meal

Detailed Description

Background: The prevalence of obesity is alarmingly high and contributes to the dysfunction of other metabolic organs and tissues, increasing the risk of cardiometabolic diseases. Food products rich in sugar, sodium, and saturated fatty acids, i.e., with high hedonic reward, are shown to disrupt energy homeostasis by overriding the homeostatic control of food intake, promoting body weight gain. Contrary to white adipose tissue, brown adipose tissue uses glucose and triglycerides as fuel to dissipate energy as heat and has been considered an essential target for combating obesity. Recently, it has been shown that meal-induced thermogenesis (MIT) is associated with BAT function and that the postprandial secretion of secretin plays a role in BAT activation and satiety. Therefore, we hypothesize that foods with different degrees of hedonic reward (i.e high-palatable foods) affect the gut-BAT-brain axis, modulating energy homeostasis. Moreover, it differentially affects lean and obese individuals. Methods: This crossover clinical trial consists of two acute postprandial tests (low versus high-hedonic reward meals) with two weeks of washout. Thirty participants (15 lean and 15 with overweight/obesity) will undergo PET/CT scans with short-living radiotracers ([15O]-O2, [15O]-H2O PET/CT) before and after consumption of the two test meals to analyze BAT function. After food intake, one [11C]-carfentanil PET/CT will be carried out to understand the role of the brain in the gut-brain-BAT axis. Before and after the test meal, energy expenditure (indirect calorimetry) and circulating gut peptides will be analyzed to investigate the interplay between gut and BAT. The effect of organoleptic cues on the gut peptides and BAT will also be examined. Participants will answer dietary, behavioral, and physical activity questionnaires at the start of their participation.

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

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Kirsi A Virtanen, Professor; Phone Number: +358 407626564; Email: kianvi@utu.fi
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Milena Monfort-Pires, PhD; Email: mmopir@utu.fi

Study Locations

• Finland
  • Turku, Finland, 20520
    • Recruiting
    • Turku PET Centre
    • Contact: Kirsi A Virtanen; Phone Number: +358407626564; Email: kianvi@utu.fi

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• • Males and females

  • Between 18 and 45 years old.
  • For the lean group: BMI<25.0 kg/m2
  • For the group with overweight/obesity: BMI>27.5 kg/m2 and a waist circumference of over 94 cm (men) or 80 cm (women).

Exclusion Criteria:

• • Inability to have PET/CT (claustrophobia, weight > 150 kg);

  • Pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions (postpartum/lactation during the last 12 months, or planning to become pregnant soon);
  • Major alterations in the menstrual cycle (e.g., amenorrhea);
  • Use of nicotine-based products;
  • Hypo- or hyper- thyroidism (medical history, TSH, T3 or T4 levels out of the normal range);
  • Diabetes mellitus (fasting Hb1Ac >6.5% or fasting glycaemia>125 mg/dL) or abnormal oral glucose tolerance test (2h OGTT > 7.8 mmol/L);
  • Hypertension (blood pressure > 160/100 mmHg) or abnormal cardiovascular status (arrhythmia and/or long QTc in ECG, abnormal cardiac murmur, previous history of cardiovascular disease);
  • Abnormal coagulopathy (e.g., clotting abnormality);
  • Malignancies, immunological, autoimmune and primary/secondary immunodeficiency disorders (including or not any active treatment).
  • Virus or bacterial infection (both asymptomatic and symptomatic picture) within the 30 days prior to the study start;
  • Episode of fever or major surgery, burns and traumas within the month prior to the study start
  • Chronic infections requiring chronic antibiotic or anti-viral treatment
  • Whole blood donation in the last 3 months (>400 mL of blood) or plans for blood donation during the entire protocol period
  • Weight change (intentional or not) over the last 6-months > than 5% of body weight, or plan to lose weight during the study,
  • Use of any medication that, in the opinion of local clinician/researcher, would negatively affect or mitigate full participation and completion, or could influence the study results. This especially applies to the use of β or α adrenergic receptors agonists/antagonists (e.g., β-blockers). In addition, participants in use of medication for glucose control or weight loss such as GLP-1 analogs will not be included.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Non-palatable meal; Acute intake of a non-palatable meal, i.e., with low-hedonic reward, followed by PET/CT scans with three different radiotracers ([15O]H2O, [15O] oxygen, and [11C]-carfentanil.	Behavioral: Non-palatable meal; Participants will consume a meal that corresponds to 40% of their daily resting metabolic rate and balanced diet but with low hedonic reward.; Other Names: low-hedonic reward
Experimental: Palatable; Acute intake of a palatable meal, i.e., with high-hedonic reward, followed by PET/CT scans with three different radiotracers ([15O]H2O, [15O] oxygen, and [11C]-carfentanil.	Behavioral: Palatable meal; Participants will consume a meal that corresponds to 40% of their daily resting metabolic rate and balanced diet but with high-hedonic reward.; Other Names: high-hedonic reward

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Brown adipose tissue metabolism	Brown adipose tissue metabolism will be assessed using 15O-O2 and 15O-H2O PET/CT, at room temperature, at fasting, after food cues, and after food intake.	Fasting and postprandial (30 minutes after the consumption of two different meals, 2 weeks of washout between them)
Changes in gut peptides	Changes in gut peptides (secretin, GIP, GLP-1) from fasting to postprandial state (after intake of meals with high- or low-hedonic reward).	Fasting and postprandial (30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes after meal intake)
Differences in μ-opioid receptors in the human brain	Differences in the brain's μ-opioid receptor (MOR) system (11C-carfentanil binding potential - BP). The differences between the two meals on 11C-carfentanil BP will be analyzed.	The 11C-carfentanil binding potential (BP) will be analyzed 45 minutes after the consumption of the two meals (high or low-hedonic reward). The comparisons will be between the two meals.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Energy expenditure/Meal-induced thermogenesis	Changes in energy expenditure (from indirect calorimetry) after the intake of the two meals will be compared.	Changes in energy expenditure after food intake (30 minutes, 1 hour 30 minutes and 2 hours 30 minutes after food intake)
Visual Analogue scale (VAS)	Changes in VAS after food intake compared to fasting	Fasting, 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes after food intake

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Turku University Hospital
• Collaborators: University of Turku
• Investigators: Study Director: Milena Monfort-Pires, PhD, University of Turku; Principal Investigator: Kirsi A Virtanen, Professor, University of Turku

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 20, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 15, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 28, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): February 29, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 10, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 9, 2024
• Last Verified: April 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Gut peptides; Brown adipose tissue; Meal-induced thermogenesis; Gut-BAT-brain axis
• Other Study ID Numbers: T2566/2023

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