Maastricht University Medical Centre+
Maastricht, Limburg, 6229ER, Netherlands
Location status: Recruiting
Recruiting
NCT Number: NCT07049224
The Effectiveness of a Diet With Beef as Key Protein Component Versus a Plant-Based Diet to Support Integrated Muscle Protein Synthesis Rates in Healthy Older Individuals
Muscles are composed out of proteins. These proteins in turn are composed out of smaller building blocks, called amino acids. By consuming a sufficient amount of dietary protein, a sufficient amount of amino acids become available to build new muscle proteins. The body's ability to build these new muscle proteins is of great importance to maintain muscle strength and function.
Previous research suggests that a meal containing proteins from meat results in a better stimulation of the body's ability to build muscle proteins, when compared to a meal containing only plant-based proteins. However, these previous studies have only been performed following the ingestion of a single meal. As a result it is currently unknown how the muscles respond to a more prolonged ingestion of a diet containing animal/meat products, in comparison to a plant-based diet. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how fast new muscle proteins are being build when consuming a diet containing animal/meat products, in comparison to a plant-based (vegan) diet.
Recruiting
Interested in participating?
Request InfoKey information
Conditions
Age range
65 year–85 year
Sex eligibility
All sexes
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Not applicable
Primary location
Who can participate
Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes
Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.
Inclusion criteria
- Male or female sex
- Aged between 65 and 85 y inclusive
- BMI between 18.5 and 30 kg/m2 inclusive
Exclusion criteria
- Not willing to consume meat/animal-based products during the study period
- Any food allergies (e.g. milk, gluten, etc.)
- Participating currently or in the 3 months prior to the study in a structured progressive exercise program.
- Smoking
- History of cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, urogenital, neurological, psychiatric, dermatologic, musculoskeletal, metabolic, endocrine, haematological, immunologic disorders, allergy, major surgery and/or laboratory assessments which might limit participation in or completion of the study protocol, interfere with the execution of the experiment, or potential influence the study outcomes (to be decided by the study team and responsible physician)
- Diagnosed with phenylketonuria (PKU)
- Donated full blood 3 months prior to test day
- Use of any medications that interferes with study participation and/or outcomes (i.e. corticosteroids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, gastric acid suppressing medication) as assessed by the study team and responsible medical doctor.
- Use of DOAC, vitamin-K-antagonist, or multiple anticoagulants
- Fasting blood glucose >7 mmol/L
Treatment and study plan
Meat diet
OtherParticipants will be subjected to a 10-day diet containing meat and animal products. During the interventional period participants will perform unilateral lower limb resistance exercise.
Other names: Omnivorous diet
Plant diet
OtherParticipants will be subjected to a 10-day diet containing plant products. During the interventional period participants will perform unilateral lower limb resistance exercise.
Other names: Vegan diet
Primary outcomes
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Integrated muscle protein synthesis rate in rested leg
Time frame: The 2 intervention periods over which FSR is determined will each last 10 days
The main study endpoint will be the difference in muscle protein synthesis rates in the non-exercised leg, between the plant-based diet and the meat diet, expressed as FSR (%/day).
Secondary outcomes
-
Integrated muscle protein synthesis rate in exercised leg
Time frame: The 2 intervention periods over which FSR is determined will each last 10 days
The difference in muscle protein synthesis rates in the exercised leg, between the plant-based diet and the meat diet, expressed as FSR (%/day).
-
Blood glucose
Time frame: The 2 intervention periods after which the outcomes are determined will each last 10 days
The difference in plasma glucose concentrations will be determined following the MEAT vs PLANT diet
-
Blood insulin
Time frame: The 2 intervention periods after which the outcomes are determined will each last 10 days
The difference in plasma, insulin, will be determined following the MEAT vs PLANT diet
-
Blood lipid profile
Time frame: The 2 intervention periods after which the outcomes are determined will each last 10 days
The difference in blood lipid profile will be determined following the MEAT vs PLANT diet
-
Blood inflammatory markers
Time frame: The 2 intervention periods after which the outcomes are determined will each last 10 days
The difference in blood inflammatory markers will be determined following the MEAT vs PLANT diet
-
Blood amino acid profile
Time frame: The 2 intervention periods after which the outcomes are determined will each last 10 days
The difference in plasma amino acid profile will be determined following the MEAT vs PLANT diet
-
Blood pressure
Time frame: The 2 intervention periods after which the blood pressure is determined will each last 10 days
The difference in blood pressure (both systolic and diastolic) will be determined following the MEAT vs PLANT diet
Other outcomes
-
Participant characteristics
Time frame: At baseline, before start interventional period
Participants characteristics at baseline will be reported as descriptives. This includes: Age, sex, body mass, height, BMI, Body composition as assed by DEXA scan, habitual dietary intake, habitual physical activity.
-
Muscle histology characteristics
Time frame: At baseline, before start interventional period
Muscle histology characteristics at baseline will be reported as descriptive.
-
Muscle signaling proteins
Time frame: The 2 intervention periods over which muscle signaling proteins are determined will each last 10 days
The difference in muscle signaling protein between the plant-based diet and the meat diet.
-
Dietary intake
Time frame: The 2 intervention periods that will be compared will each last 10 days
The dietary intake during the 2 interventional periods will be compared. Measured by dietary intake records
-
Fecal Microbiome
Time frame: The 2 intervention periods that will be compared will each last 10 days
The Fecal microbiome following the 2 interventional periods will be compared, measured in fecal samples
-
Step count
Time frame: The 2 intervention periods that will be compared will each last 10 days
The step count during the 2 interventional periods will be compared. Measured by an Actigraph activity monitor
-
Subjective feeling
Time frame: The 2 intervention periods that will be compared will each last 10 days
Satiety, muscle soreness, and gastro-intestinal complaints scores during the 2 interventional periods will be compared. Measured by visual analog scale questionnaires. The left side of the 100mm scale represents a score of 0 (= no complaints). The right side of the 100mm scale represents a score of 100 (=severe complaints)
Study contacts
Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.
Sponsors and collaborators
Lead sponsor
Maastricht University Medical Center
Other
Collaborators
- National Cattlemen's Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff
Registry information
Acronym: OmniVeg_Diet
Important dates
- Study start
- 2024
- Primary completion
- 2026
- Study completion
- 2026
- First posted
- Jul 3, 2025
- Registry last updated
- Jul 3, 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.
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