Clinical Trial Details
— Status: Completed
Administrative data
NCT number |
NCT03179462 |
Other study ID # |
206579 |
Secondary ID |
|
Status |
Completed |
Phase |
N/A
|
First received |
|
Last updated |
|
Start date |
December 1, 2017 |
Est. completion date |
July 1, 2019 |
Study information
Verified date |
October 2021 |
Source |
University of Arkansas |
Contact |
n/a |
Is FDA regulated |
No |
Health authority |
|
Study type |
Interventional
|
Clinical Trial Summary
The investigators will examine the effects of a given amount of a protein food source such as
pork, mixed nuts, and tofu on anabolic response at the whole body and muscle levels in young,
healthy adults.
Description:
Over the past 35 years the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Dietary Guidelines
for Americans (DGAs) has sought to translate recommendations on nutrient requirements (i.e.,
Recommended Dietary Allowances) from the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of
Medicine (IOM) into practical nutritional advice for the American public. Although the DGAs
are intended to incorporate additional scientific evidence, the lack of appropriate focus on
protein nutrition is a major shortcoming of the DGAs. Not only is the amount of protein not a
major focus, absolutely no mention is made of protein quality. In general, animal proteins
have much higher the Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Scores (DIAASs) than plant proteins,
often by as much as two fold. Account has not been taken of DIAAS, or even the general
concept of the importance of the amount and profile of essential amino acids in individual
proteins, in formulation of MyPlate or the scientific report of the DGAs Committee. This is
because a classification does not apply to most plant proteins, despite the fact that in the
IOM report stating the Recommended Dietary Allowance for protein it is specified that this
refers to "high quality protein. To help the consumer meet protein needs while achieving the
goal of varied protein food sources, the DGAs Committee published "ounce equivalents" in the
protein foods group. It is stated among other equivalents cited, that 1 ounce (oz.) of meat
is equivalent to 1 tablespoon (Tbsp.) of peanut butter and 1/4 cup (0.5 ounces) of cooked
kidney beans. But are they really equivalent? This indicates that the "ounce equivalents" of
protein foods in MyPlate are not equivalent in any parameter that might be used to assess
nutritional benefit, and demonstrates that the bias against animal proteins is in the Dietary
Guidelines. The misrepresentation of the equivalencies of various food sources of protein in
MyPlate raises the question of the process by which this occurred, and how can the process be
influenced to more accurately reflect that high quality of animal proteins? Therefore,
developing convincing data to correct the MyPlate "ounce equivalents" of protein foods is an
achievable goal. In general, dietary protein intake serves many physiological roles, but the
most prominent is the maintenance or gain of body protein. This is accomplished by
stimulation of protein synthesis, the inhibition of protein breakdown, or a combination.
Thus, the functional response to consumption of a given amount of a protein food source is
best assessed by quantifying the rates of protein synthesis and breakdown at the whole body
level as well as at the muscle level in order to calculate the anabolic response. The
investigators propose to make these measurements in response to intake of "equivalent
"(according to MyPlate) amounts of pork, mixed nuts and tofu. Moreover, the functional
responses to these varied sources of protein we will examine coincide with the predictions
from the USDA nutrient data base, and calculation of the DIAAS will provide needed support to
redefine "ounce equivalents" of protein food sources according to those data bases for all
animal and plant sources of protein.