The Impact of the Physiological Response to Sugar on Brain Activity &

Status Recruiting

Clinical Trial Summary

The goal of this pilot study is to test the feasibility of assessing how biological factors and chemical properties of sugars may influence metabolism and food reward in humans. The main questions it aims to answer are: - Can differences in appetitive responses and neural activations to sucrose (table sugar) and its chemical components (glucose and fructose) be measured and quantified? - Are there detectable differences in how combinations of sugars and non-nutritive sweeteners commonly found in our food supply influence appetitive responses and neural activation? This study is a crossover design, meaning every participant will complete every condition. Participants will consume beverages containing sucrose, glucose, or fructose, which are each novelly flavored, 6 times within a week. During one of the consumption times, energy expenditure, carbohydrate oxidation, and blood glucose will be measured in the lab before and for 2 hours after consumption. After participants have consumed each condition, they will undergo a tasting task in the MRI scanner, neural responses to receipt of the beverages are measured. Another group of participants will undergo the same study design but with sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, or sucrose + non-nutritive sweetener as the conditions.

Clinical Trial Description

Prior studies in humans indicate that while energy expenditure response is similar after consumption of equal amounts of fructose, glucose, and sucrose (a dimer of glucose + fructose), carbohydrate oxidation and blood glucose responses differ. Elevated carbohydrate oxidation responses appear to be driven by the presence of fructose, and elevated blood glucose responses appear to be driven by the presence of glucose. Prior work also suggests that post-ingestive signals of glucose availability, measure specifically as blood glucose levels, intestinal glucose transporter activity, and carbohydrate oxidation rate, are all associated with elevated brain response to calorie-predictive flavor cues and reward learning of these flavor cues. However, in animal models, glucose has been shown to repeatedly and reliably condition these calorie-predictive learning responses, but fructose does not. Human work has indicated that oxidation of glucose is critical for these responses. Thus, it is unclear what roles fructose and glucose each play in conditioning reward responses and flavor-calorie learning. We hypothesize that fructose plays a synergistic role in enhancing flavor-calorie learning without itself conditioning the reward response. ;

Study Design

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

Clinical Trial Details

NCT number	NCT06015490
Study type	Interventional
Source	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Contact	Alexandra DiFeliceantonio, PhD
Phone	540-526-2285
Email	dife@vtc.vt.edu
Status	Recruiting
Phase	N/A
Start date	September 1, 2023
Completion date	April 20, 2024

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Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.

Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.

The Impact of the Physiological Response to Sugar on Brain Activity and Behavior

Clinical Trial Summary

Clinical Trial Description

Study Design

Related Conditions & MeSH terms