Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT05426109

Role of Peanuts in Healthy Weight Gain in Athletic Individuals

Many athletes and military personnel desire weight gain primarily as lean mass to improve performance and effectiveness in military/sport endeavors. While much is known about the energy restriction required to reduce body weight, very little is understood about energy and macronutrients needed to promote healthy gains in body weight and lean mass. Typically, athletes are encouraged to increase calorie intake by ~500 kcal/day with an emphasis on adequate protein and carbohydrate, and judicious inclusion of healthy fat-containing calorically-dense foods, including peanuts and peanut butter. This study proposes to evaluate the effect of a 10-week diet and exercise regimen designed to promote healthy weight gain. This will include increasing energy intake by 500 additional kcal/day (above weight maintenance diet) through daily provision of either peanut-based whole foods/snacks (peanut group) or a similar, high-carbohydrate, peanut-free snack (control group) along with a supervised strength training regimen. Results will serve as an important first step in helping understand the gaps in knowledge related to healthy weight gain, designing better weight gain meal plans, not only in athletes and military personnel, but also in clinical populations where promotion of weight gain is advocated.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Weight Gain Body Weight Body Weight Changes Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

18 year–40 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, Virginia, 24061, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Interested in gaining 5 pounds of body weight to enhance effectiveness in sport, fitness, or military training/competition.
  • Willing to eat 500 kcal/d and weight train 3x/wk for 10 weeks
  • Have weight trained in the past 12 months
  • Not taking medications or dietary supplements that influence study results
  • Non-smoker
  • Without any major medical problems (including high blood pressure or coronary heart disease)

Exclusion criteria

  • Nut, peanut, tree nut or legume allergy
  • No weight training experience
  • Orthopedic limitations that affect ability to weight train
  • Currently taking dietary supplements or prescribed pharmacological agents that may affect lean tissue accretion
  • Current or past anabolic steroid use
  • Have a history of or current signs of disordered eating
  • Pregnant
  • Abnormal levels of thyroid stimulating hormone or hemoglobin, serum lipids (e.g., fasting triglycerides >150 mg/dL and/or total cholesterol >200 mg/dL)

Treatment and study plan

Peanut snacks

Other

Participants will undergo a 10-week diet and weight training regimen to promote healthy weight gain. These participants will receive seven 500 kcal peanut-containing (whole peanuts or peanut butter) snacks each week and consume one snack per day throughout the study. They will also perform a series of weight training exercises supervised by a personal trainer on 3 days per week.

No peanut-containing snacks

Other

Participants will undergo a 10-week diet and weight training regimen to promote healthy weight gain. These participants will receive seven 500 kcal non-peanut-containing high carbohydrate snacks each week and consume one snack per day throughout the study. They will also perform a series of weight training exercises supervised by a personal trainer on 3 days per week.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Total Body Mass (Weight)

    Time frame: 1-min laboratory measurement assessed at the baseline, 3-wk, 7-wk, and 11-week test sessions.

    Participants will be weighed on a digital scale wearing standardized lab clothes at all scheduled testing sessions throughout the study.

  2. Change in Lean Body Mass

    Time frame: 10-min laboratory measurement assessed at the baseline, 3-wk, 7-wk and 11-week test sessions.

    Participants will undergo a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scan wearing standardized lab clothing at all scheduled testing sessions throughout the study. The scan analysis provides body composition results, including lean (fat-free) mass (kg).

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Resting Metabolic Rate

    Time frame: 60-min laboratory measurement assessed at the baseline, 3-week, and 11-week test sessions.

    Participants will undergo a resting metabolic rate (RMR) test during select testing sessions throughout the study. The indirect calorimetry test measures the daily energy expenditure (or number of kilocalories needed to perform and maintain daily bodily functions) of each participant based on the measured gas exchange during the test.

  2. Change in Testosterone Levels

    Time frame: 5-min laboratory measurement assessed at the baseline, 3-week, 7-week, and 11-week test sessions.

    Participants will have their blood collected by venipuncture in aseptic conditions. Testosterone (free) will be measured to determine the impact of the extra daily 500 kcal snacks on anabolism and muscle growth.

  3. Change in Insulin-Like Growth Factor Levels

    Time frame: 5-min laboratory measurement assessed at the baseline, 3-week, 7-week, and 11-week test sessions.

    Participants will have their blood collected by venipuncture in aseptic conditions. Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) will be measured to determine the impact of the extra daily 500 kcal snacks on anabolism and muscle growth.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Exploring the Role of Peanuts in Enhancing Healthy Weight Gain in Athletic Individuals

Acronym: mGAINS

Important dates

Study start
2021
Primary completion
2022
Study completion
2024
First posted
Jun 21, 2022
Registry last updated
Jun 10, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.