Breakfast and Muscle Health in Children

University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Status: Completed

Conditions: Muscle Mass; Nutrition; Energy Expenditure; Body Weight Changes; Body Composition

Treatments: Other: Protein; Other: Carbohydrate

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03602144

BEMS1

Details and patient eligibility

About

One in every three children ages 2-19 years is overweight or obese. Although multifactorial in nature, obesity is primarily attributed to a mismatch between energy intake and energy expenditure (EE). Daily EE (DEE) can be partitioned between resting metabolic rate (RMR), EE associated with physical activity, and the thermic effect of food (TEF). RMR corresponds to the energy needed to sustain the body functions at rest and is also related to body composition (i.e., ratio of skeletal muscle mass to fat mass). Skeletal muscle mass is a large contributor to RMR; the more skeletal muscle mass, the higher the RMR (i.e., more energy expended at rest). In addition, muscle plays a central role in whole body protein metabolism and disrupted muscle metabolism is associated with the development of many common chronic diseases associated with obesity such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Although the contribution of disrupted muscle metabolism to chronic disease is well-established in older adults, the potential impact in children is unknown. The overall objective for this primary project application is to determine the role of breakfast protein consumption in improving energy metabolism, energy balance and skeletal muscle health in obese, school-aged children.

Enrollment: 88 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 7 to 14 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Resides within Northwest Arkansas
• Age 8-12 years old
• BMI >5th percentile
• All ethnicities

Exclusion criteria

• Food allergies
• Dietary restrictions
• Regularly skip breakfast (> 5 times per week)
• Prescription medications
• Claustrophobic
• Fear of needles
• Classified as a picky eater by parent/guardian

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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88 participants in 2 patient groups

Carbohydrate

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants will receive a carbohydrate-based smoothie every morning for 6 weeks (42 days).

Treatment:

Other: Carbohydrate

Protein

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will receive a protein-based smoothie every morning for 6 weeks (42 days).

Treatment:

Other: Protein