Metabolite Changes Following Consumption Of Different Protein Drinks In Singapore Older Adults

The study aims to investigate the acute effects of different protein sources (i.e., casein, whey, soy) on metabolomic profiles (e.g., amino acids in the blood), along with other outcomes such as cognitive function, mood, and appetite. While the study does not directly aim to prevent, prognosticate, diagnose, or alleviate any disease, it may provide insights that could inform dietary recommendations and support disease prevention efforts in older adults.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Aging; Protein Metabolism
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: Casein Protein Isolate Drink; Dietary supplement: Whey Protein Isolate Drink; Dietary supplement: Soy Protein Isolate Drink; Dietary supplement: Maltodextrin Drink

Detailed Description

This study will be a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial using a crossover study design. 25 older adults (aged 60 to 80) will be recruited and assigned to consume 4 different test drinks in a random order on 4 different visits. This study aims to investigate whether higher protein consumption of different sources will influence postprandial plasma and urinary metabolomic profiles, cognition, mood and appetite. The study will comprise 1 screening visit and 4 test visits separated separated by a minimum washout period of >7 days

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

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Singapore
  • Singapore, Singapore, 117550
    • NUS, Department of Food Science and Technology, 1 Science Drive 3, Block S13, #03-07

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• English-literate and able to give informed consent
• Adults 60 to 80 years old (inclusive)
• (If applicable) Postmenopausal
• BMI of 18·5 to 30 kg/m2 (inclusive)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Currently participating in another clinical study that involves altering the regular diet and/or involves consuming a dietary supplement or investigated food product as an intervention
• Weight change >3 kg in the past 3 months
• Exercising vigorously over the past 3 months (i.e., engaging in high-intensity exercises for more than 3 hours a week, where high-intensity exercises leave one out of breath and unable to talk or sing during the workout)
• Current smokers or have quit smoking for less than 5 years
• Drinking >2 alcoholic drinks per day (i.e., one drink is defined as either 150 ml of wine, 340 ml of beer/cider or 45 ml of distilled spirit)
• If drinking ≤2 alcoholic drinks per day, not willing to stop consumption of alcoholic beverages two days before and on the day of the test visits (total 12 days)
• Not willing to stop consumption of caffeinated beverages 10 to 12 hours before and on the day of the test visits (total 4 days)
• Taking supplements containing omega-3, magnesium, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), L-theanine, melatonin and/or 5-hydroxytryptophan for the past 3 months, and not willing to discontinue usage 3 months before and during the study duration

• Currently on a specialised diet (e.g., vegetarian, vegan, weight loss diet)

  • Had serious food allergies in the past, or having intolerance, sensitivities or allergies to any of the following: milk/dairy products (e.g., casein, whey), starch/starch-derived products (e.g., rice, corn, wheat, potato), soy/soy-derived products, gluten, eggs, nuts, peanuts, fish and crustaceans.
• Disease or impairment of the kidney and/or liver
• Currently diagnosed with diabetes, sleep disorders, gastrointestinal issues (e.g., lactose intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome), gout and/or G6PD deficiency
• History of diseases known to affect the central nervous system (e.g., heart disease, stroke, migraine headaches, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, mental illnesses)
• Taking antibiotics 2 weeks prior to study participation
• Taking medication known to interfere with cognitive function and mental wellbeing (e.g., benzodiazepines, antidepressants, other central nervous agents)
• Taking anti-hypertensive or cholesterol-lowering drugs for less than 3 years unless medically declared by an official doctor to be in stable condition
• Poor peripheral venous access based on past experiences with blood drawing

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Casein Protein Drink; 30 g protein equivalent of casein protein isolate dissolved in ~250 mL of water	Dietary supplement: Casein Protein Isolate Drink; 30 g protein equivalent of casein protein isolate dissolved in ~250 mL of water
Experimental: Whey Protein Drink; 30 g protein equivalent of whey protein isolate dissolved in ~250 mL of water	Dietary supplement: Whey Protein Isolate Drink; 30 g protein equivalent of whey protein isolate dissolved in ~250 mL of water
Experimental: Soy Protein Drink; 30 g protein equivalent of soy protein isolate dissolved in ~250 mL of water	Dietary supplement: Soy Protein Isolate Drink; 30 g protein equivalent of soy protein isolate dissolved in ~250 mL of water
Placebo Comparator: Maltodextrin Drink; 30 g carbohydrate equivalent of maltodextrin powder dissolved in ~250 mL of water	Dietary supplement: Maltodextrin Drink; 30 g carbohydrate equivalent of maltodextrin powder dissolved in ~250 mL of water

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Changes in metabolites found in plasma (plasma metabolomics)	Untargeted metabolomics profiling of plasma will be conducted using ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight-mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS)	Baseline, 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, 300 minutes
Changes in metabolites found in urine (urinary metabolomics)	Untargeted metabolomics profiling of urine will be conducted using ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight-mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS)	Baseline, 60, 120, 180, 240, 300 minutes

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Cognitive Function	The Computerised Mental Performance Assessment System (COMPASS) will be administered via a laptop. The COMPASS tests consist of 5 consecutive tests, including Digit Vigilance, Stroop, Rapid Visual Information Processing, Computerised Corsi Blocks Lite, Alphabetic Working Memory and Serial Subtraction, where the correctness and reaction time will be recorded. The test is expected to take around 15 minutes.	Baseline, 15, 60, 120, 180, 240, 300 minutes
Mood	The Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire will be administered, which contains various words that describe feelings. Participants will indicate, for each word, how they currently feel on scale of 0 (Not at all) to 4 (Extremely).	Baseline, 15, 60, 120, 180, 240, 300 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: National University of Singapore
• Collaborators: Bezos Earth Fund
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jung Eun Kim, Ph.D., R.D., National University of Singapore, Department of Food Science and Technology

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Lanng SK, Oxfeldt M, Johansen FT, Risikesan J, Hansen M, Bertram HC. Acute changes in the metabolome following resistance exercise combined with intake of different protein sources (cricket, pea, whey). Metabolomics. 2023 Nov 24;19(12):98. doi: 10.1007/s11306-023-02064-0.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 20, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): February 9, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 15, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 30, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): May 2, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 17, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 13, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Metabolomics; Cognitive function; Older adults; Mood; Appetite; Postprandial; Acute; Protein metabolism; Protein intake
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Chelating Agents; Sequestering Agents; Caseins
• Other Study ID Numbers: S31; NUS-IRB-2025-19 (Other Identifier: National University of Singapore Institutional Review Board (NUS IRB))

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Electronic copies of the data with identifiable participant information will be kept on NUS OneDrive with access limited only Dr Kim Jung Eun and her research staff. All data will be de-identified prior to statistical analyses.

Drug and device information, study documents

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