Acute Meat and Alternative Intake (PRotEin DIet SatisfacTION Trial 3)

NCT04545398 | Completed DMC

• 2 other identifiers: 5000927U1111-1244-9426
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 30
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Introduction: Protein rich foods that are alternatives to farm-grown meat have received considerable consumer attention. Whilst meat alternatives were once niche food products aimed at vegetarians, they are increasingly marketed to omnivores and "flexitarians", thus contributing to a trend for reductions in red meat intakes \[1\]. Studies to date have addressed the environmental benefit, plus consumer perceptions and acceptability of meat alternatives \[2, 3, 4\], yet there is surprisingly a paucity of data compared the nutritional and digestive differences to meat. The aim of this trial is to compare the digestive consequences of pasture-fed and grain-finished, beef versus a plant-based meat analogue blinded meal. Methods and analyses: Healthy, young (20-34 y) participants will be asked to consume three separate meals in a crossover, blinded investigation followed by five hours of blood testing and questionnaires to assess the digestive consequences of meat and a plant-based meat analogue. The three meals will include either pasture-fed, or grain-finished, or laboratory based protein alternative as a mixed meal, in random order, separated by one week minimum. Plasma samples will be assessed amino acid content, neurotransmitter proteins, chylomicron fatty acid distribution and general health indices. Ethics and dissemination: The trial has been granted ethical approval by the Ministry of Health, Health and Disability Ethics Committee (Ref: 19/STH/226). All results originating from this study will be submitted for publication in scientific journals and presented at meetings.

Conditions

Diet, Healthy; Protein; Disease

Keywords

protein; amino acid; diet; health; meat products; bioavailability

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• LCPUFA (18:2 n-6, 18:3 n-3, 20:4 n-6, 20:5 n-3, 22:5 n-3, 22:6 n-3

  Chylomicron fatty acids, blood test

  Change from baseline to 240-minutes post meal ingestion

Secondary Outcomes (7)

• Fatty acids (14:0, 16:0, 16:1 n-7, 18:0, 18:1 n-9, others)

  Change from baseline to 240-minutes post meal ingestion

• Amino acids/ Neurotransmitters

  Change from baseline to 240-minutes post meal ingestion

• Glucose/ Insulin

  Change from baseline to 240-minutes post meal ingestion

• Minerals/ Iron

  Change from baseline to 240-minutes post meal ingestions

• Fullness

  Change from baseline to 240-minutes post meal ingestion

Study Arms (4)

Pasture-raised

EXPERIMENTAL

The meal contains grass/pasture fed beef

Other: Food. Beef, Pasture-raised

Grain-fed

EXPERIMENTAL

The meal contains grain-fed beef

Other: Food. Beef, Grain-fed

Meat Alternative

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

The meal contains a meat alternative

Other: Food. Meat alternative

Lamb

EXPERIMENTAL

The meal contains lamb

Other: Food, Lamb

Interventions

Food. Beef, Pasture-raised OTHER

Pasture-raised beef

Pasture-raised

Food. Beef, Grain-fed OTHER

Grain-fed beef

Grain-fed

Food. Meat alternative OTHER

Meat alternative

Meat Alternative

Food, Lamb OTHER

Lamb

Lamb

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 20 Years - 34 Years
• Gender Eligibility Details: Self reported gender is acceptable
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• All participants will be required to be omnivores willing to consume both red meat and plant-base alternatives for the purposes of the trial.

You may not qualify if:

• Those with chronic health conditions, hyperlipidaemia, obesity (BMI ≥ 30), use of medications (except occasional use of NSAIDs and antihistamines), history of anosmia and ageusia (issues with taste and smell), current dieting or disordered eating pattern and smoking tobacco or recreational drugs will be excluded from participating.
• Participants will be asked to complete an on-line screening which will include the Three-factor Eating Questionnaire-R18 (TFEQ) and a health survey. Participants with a TFEQ score greater than 75% will be excluded from participating on the basis their perception of food is potentially influenced by underlying psychological issues

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Auckland, New Zealand: lead
• Institute for Human Development and Potential (IHDP), Singapore: collaborator
• Massey University: collaborator
• AgResearch: collaborator
• The Riddet Institute: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

The University of Auckland

Auckland, [other], 1142, New Zealand

Location

Related Publications (9)

• 1. Thakur A. Market for Plant-Based Meat Alternatives. Environmental, Health, and Business Opportunities in the New Meat Alternatives Market. IGI Global; 2019: 218-37.

  BACKGROUND

• Slade P. If you build it, will they eat it? Consumer preferences for plant-based and cultured meat burgers. Appetite. 2018 Jun 1;125:428-437. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2018.02.030. Epub 2018 Mar 5.

  PMID: 29501683 BACKGROUND

• 3. Circus VE, Robison R. Exploring perceptions of sustainable proteins and meat attachment. B Food J. 2019.

  BACKGROUND

• Keefe LM. #FakeMeat: How big a deal will animal meat analogs ultimately be? Anim Front. 2018 Jul 19;8(3):30-37. doi: 10.1093/af/vfy011. eCollection 2018 Jul. No abstract available.

  PMID: 32002221 BACKGROUND

• Ekmekcioglu C, Wallner P, Kundi M, Weisz U, Haas W, Hutter HP. Red meat, diseases, and healthy alternatives: A critical review. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2018 Jan 22;58(2):247-261. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2016.1158148. Epub 2017 Jun 28.

  PMID: 27128451 BACKGROUND

• Forouhi NG, Krauss RM, Taubes G, Willett W. Dietary fat and cardiometabolic health: evidence, controversies, and consensus for guidance. BMJ. 2018 Jun 13;361:k2139. doi: 10.1136/bmj.k2139.

  PMID: 29898882 BACKGROUND

• Hicks TM, Knowles SO, Farouk MM. Global Provisioning of Red Meat for Flexitarian Diets. Front Nutr. 2018 Jun 14;5:50. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2018.00050. eCollection 2018.

  PMID: 29963555 BACKGROUND

• Pham T, Morton L, Gillies N, Bermingham E, Knowles S, Cameron-Smith D, Braakhuis AJ. Plasma chylomicron-rich lipidomic and fatty acid profile following a meat or analog meal in healthy males: A randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2025 Sep;122(3):770-779. doi: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2025.07.010. Epub 2025 Jul 15.

  PMID: 40675490 DERIVED

• Pham T, Knowles S, Bermingham E, Brown J, Hannaford R, Cameron-Smith D, Braakhuis A. Plasma Amino Acid Appearance and Status of Appetite Following a Single Meal of Red Meat or a Plant-Based Meat Analog: A Randomized Crossover Clinical Trial. Curr Dev Nutr. 2022 May 4;6(5):nzac082. doi: 10.1093/cdn/nzac082. eCollection 2022 May.

  PMID: 35669048 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Disease

Interventions

Food; Red Meat

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Diet, Food, and Nutrition; Physiological Phenomena; Food and Beverages; Meat

Study Officials

• Andrea J Braakhuis, PhD

  The University of Auckland

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 12, 2020
• First Posted: September 11, 2020
• Study Start: November 1, 2020
• Primary Completion: January 30, 2021
• Study Completion: December 20, 2021
• Last Updated: November 28, 2023

Record last verified: 2023-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, ICF
• Time Frame: Pre-recruitment
• Access Criteria: The study protocol will be freely available via publication

Locations

NZ (1)