Gastrointestinal metabolomics study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Assessment of digestion and metabolism following altered macronutrient intake
IRAS ID
141348
Contact name
Keith Boland
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Joint Research Compliance Office
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Obesity and its complications are major worldwide public health issues. There is currently a need for effective, economically viable treatment options. Of particular interest is the concept of functional foods or novel products which increase satiety (the sense of fullness). The goal is to design foods or dietary regimens that increase satiety and encourage the individual to stop eating sooner, thus reducing total food intake. One method of inducing satiety is via the release of the gastrointestinal hormones glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and peptide YY (PYY) following a meal. The effect of meals of altered macronutrient intake in the early stages of digestion, how they are processed and what metabolites (small molecules in biological fluids) they yield, are critical in understanding the stimulus for early gut hormone (hormones that control appetite) release and satiety. Healthy volunteers (males or females), aged 18 - 60 years will be recruited for this study. Each participant will attend four consecutive study days involving an in-patient stay. At the beginning of the study, a tube will be inserted through the nose, the end of which will lie in the duodenum (first part of the small intestine). Some people will have a tube inserted through the mouth with the end lying in the stomach. Samples from the gut will be taken from both of these tubes. A small tube (cannula) will be placed on the lower forearm allowing for blood sampling to take place at the same time. On each of the 4 days, participants will be given a meal of varying macronutrient concentration in a randomised order, after which gut and blood sampling will take place over a 3 hour period. The effect of these meals will allow better understanding of the breakdown of proteins, carbohydrates and fats and the correlation with factors controlling appetite.
REC name
London - Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/1060
Date of REC Opinion
7 Jul 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion