Oxytocin and Eating

Exploring the Effects of Oxytocin on Appetite Regulation in Healthy Adult Men

Status

UNKNOWN

Phases

Phase 2

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT03225456

Enrollment

Registered

2017-07-21

Start date

2017-09-30

Completion date

2019-01-31

Last updated

2017-07-21

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Weight Gain

Keywords

appetite regulation, obesity, oxytocin

Brief summary

In this protocol, the investigators propose a randomised controlled trial to explore the effects of intra-nasal oxytocin administration on appetite regulation. The investigators will run a cross-over design with 60 healthy adult men.

Interventions

DRUGSyntocinon

Intra-nasal oxytocin

DRUGPlacebos

Intra-nasal placebo

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

MALE

Age

21 Years to 45 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Gender: Male * Age: 21-45 years * Normal weight: Body mass index of 18.5 to 22.9 * Have had a stable weight for the past 3 months (less than 5kg) * Have regular breakfast meals (≥ 4 times a week of self-reported consumption of a breakfast meal) * Have habitual sleep of 6.5-8.5 hours * Have English as first language (or fluent in spoken and written English)

Exclusion criteria

* Symptoms / history of any major medical condition, including: * Bariatric surgery or surgical obesity treatment * Diabetes * Cardiovascular disease * Thyroid disease * Anaemia * Psychiatric disorders * Eating disorders * Excessive exercise (running \> 40 km or exercising \> 10 hr in a week) * Currently on a special diet or trying deliberately to restrict food intake * Currently on a weight loss program * Smoking or substance abuse * Use of medications that can affect weight (e.g., steroids, approved weight-loss drugs)

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Taste sensitivity	2-hour span following oxytocin administration	Taste thresholds for primary taste senses, measured using psychophysical staircase procedures
Taste preference	2-hour span following oxytocin administration	Measured using the positive/negative generalised Labeled Magnitude Scale used to assess pleasantness
Value placed upon food	2-hour span following oxytocin administration	Willingness to pay for food (vs non-food items) in a Becker-DeGroot-Marschak auction task

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Subjective ratings of hunger and fullness	2-hour span following oxytocin administration	Measured using 100-point Visual Analogue Scales

Countries

Singapore

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026