Sarcopenia
Conditions
Brief summary
Consumers are increasingly encouraged to consume more plant-based foods and lower their consumption of foods from animal origin. However, the consequences of such a transition on muscle mass still remains to be explored. This is of particular importance in the older population, where sarcopenia is highly prevalent. The aim of this randomized controlled cross-over study is to investigate the short-term effect of a 10-day controlled vegan diet on daily muscle fractional synthesis rates in comparison to a 10-day controlled omnivorous diet in 35 community-dwelling older adults. Participants will follow a fully controlled vegan diet, directly followed by a fully controlled omnivorous diet for 10 days, or vice versa. Researchers will compare the effect of the vegan diet to the effect of the omnivorous diet.
Interventions
OTHERVegan diet (intervention)
The intervention diet will be a fully controlled vegan diet that will be consumed for a duration of 10 days. No animal-based food products will be included in the diet.
OTHEROmnivorous diet (control)
The control diet will be an a priori composed controlled omnivorous diet with a duration of 10 days. The omnivorous diet and the vegan diet will be isocaloric and isonitrogenous.
Sponsors
Rijksoverheid
Maastricht University
Wageningen University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
65 Years to 79 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Aged 65-79 years old; * Community-dwelling; * BMI 20-35 kg/m\^2.
Exclusion criteria
* Following a vegetarian or vegan diet during the six months prior to the study; * Following a diet that affects protein intake during the six months prior to the study; * Participating in a structured exercise training program in the past three months; * 5% or more body weight loss during three months before the start of the study; * Being diagnosed with one of the following: diabetes; renal disease; neurological or neuromuscular disorders; serious cardiovascular diseases; cancer; chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD); * Chronic use of medication that affects muscle function, e.g. corticosteroids, metformin, insulin; * The use of the following medicines: acenocoumarol (sintrom); phenprocoumon (marcoumar); dabigatran (pradaxa); apixaban (eliquis); rivaroxaban (xarelto); clopidogrel (plavix); combination of acetylsalicylic acid or carbasalate calcium (ascal) with dipyridamole. * Allergic or intolerant to any product included in the diets; * Not willing to stop nutritional supplements, with the exception of supplements on medical advice, and vitamin D; * Not willing or afraid to give blood or undergo a muscle biopsy during the study; * Unwilling to eat a vegan and an omnivorous diet for ten days each; * Currently a research participant in another trial or participated in a clinical trial during three months before the start of the measurement period; * Not being able to understand Dutch; * Not having a general physician.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS) | 10 days | MPS, expressed as daily fractional synthesis rates (FSR, %/day), will be assessed using a deuterium oxide protocol. Daily FSR will be calculated using the 2\^H-alanine enrichment in plasma and the mixed muscle-bound 2\^H-alanine enrichment. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Appetite | Measured daily for 10 days during each diet | Appetite will be assessed using visual analogue scales (VAS; Min 0 mm - max 100 mm) before and after the warm meal. Five VAS-scales regarding hunger, fullness, satiation, desire to eat and prospective food consumption will be used to assess appetite. |
| Change in fasting plasma glucose | Change after 10 days of following each diet | Fasting plasma glucose levels |
| Change in fasting plasma insulin | Change after 10 days of following each diet | Fasting plasma insulin levels |
| Change in fasting plasma lipid profile | Change after 10 days of following each diet | Triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol |
| Change in blood pressure | Change after 10 days of following each diet | Fasting systolic and diastolic blood pressure |
Countries
Netherlands
Outcome results
None listed