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RecruitingNCT06538831NOVAUpdated Oct 17, 2024

Impact of Ultra-processed Foods on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors

An interventional study of Diet N-P- and Diet N+P- in Cardiometabolic Risk, sponsored by Laval University. Recruiting at 1 site in Canada. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 75 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-10-17.

Sponsored by Laval University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Sep 2024; still recruiting 2 years later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
120
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 75 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to examine in a 2x2 factorial RCT what feature(s) of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) contribute to cardiometabolic risk in men and women. The project's hypotheses are :

  1. that the nutrient composition of UPFs (high SFA, free sugar and sodium) per se has deleterious impacts on cardiometabolic risk factors;
  2. that the industrial techniques and processes of UPFs per se do not.

Participants will be randomly assigned to one of 4 groups consistent with the 2x2 factorial design of the study: 1- the nutrient composition of foods (low vs. high in SFA, free sugar and sodium) and 2- the degree of industrial techniques and food processing (little to no vs.important amounts of UPFs). All foods will be provided to participants under isocaloric conditions during the 6-week dietary intervention. Participants will have to consume one of the 4 experimental diets for 6 weeks.

Read the detailed description

This study is a parallel group 2x2 factorial randomized controlled trial, in which diet is fully controlled. A total of 120 men and women covering a broad range of adiposity and cardiometabolic risk factors will be randomly assigned to one of four 6-week experimental diets:

  1. A diet low in saturated fatty acids (SFAs), free sugar and sodium, with low ultra-processed foods (UPFs)
  2. A diet rich in SFAs, free sugar and sodium, with low UPFs;
  3. A diet low in SFAs, free sugar and sodium, with high levels of UPFs;
  4. A diet rich in SFAs, free sugar and sodium, with high levels of UPFs.

All foods in this full-feeding trial will be managed or prepared by food technicians at the Clinical Investigation Unit of our research center. A cyclic seven-day menu plan will be developed with similar foods across the four diets. Classifications of the degree of food processing will be made using NOVA classification. NOVA identifies four categories of foods based on the degree of food processing: 1- Unprocessed or minimally processed foods, 2- Processed Culinary Ingredients, 3- Processed Food and 4- Ultra-processed foods (UPFs). The two diets high in UPFs will predominantly feature commercially-bought foods classified as NOVA-4, while the two diets low in UPFs diets will predominantly include foods prepared in our metabolic kitchen (NOVA 1 to 3). Diets will be provided under isocaloric conditions to maintain body weight constant. The breakfast meal will represent approximately 30% of the daily energy intake in each diet, whereas the lunch and dinner meals each will provide about 35% of daily energy intake. Participants will have to come to the research center 3 to 5 times a week during the 6-week intervention to collect their meals and be weighed. Primary and secondary outcomes will be measured at the beginning and at the end of the 6-wk diet intervention.

The specifics objectives of this 2x2 factorial RCT are:

Obj 1: To assess the impact of the nutrient composition of UPFs on cardiometabolic risk, independent of variations in industrial techniques and processes (factor 1).

Obj 2: To assess the impact of industrial techniques and processes of UPFs on cardiometabolic risk, independent of variations in nutrient composition (factor 2).

02

Conditions studied

  • Cardiometabolic Risk
03

In context

Lead sponsor

Laval University is the lead sponsor of 371 studies on the registry; 68 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 75 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

  • Body mass index (BMI):18 to 35 kg/m2
  • Stable weight over the last 3 months (variation of less than 5 kg)
  • LDL-cholesterol \< 5.0 mmol/L
  • HbA1c \< 6.5%
  • Office blood pressure \<150/90 mmHg
  • Non-smokers or smokers of less than 10 cigarettes a day

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnant or breast-feeding women
  • Alcohol consumption of more than 7 drinks per week
  • Women: contraceptives for less than 3 months or hormone therapy for less than 6 months
  • Medication to treat hypercholesterolemia, diabetes or hypertension
  • Diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, cancer
  • Food allergies or aversions to any of the foods on the experimental menus
  • Being on a diet or following a special diet
  • Daytime MAPA blood pressure >150/90
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Factorial assignment
Masking
Quadruple (Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
120 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Diet N-P-

    Other: Diet N-P-

  • Experimental
    Diet N+P-

    Other: Diet N+P-

  • Experimental
    Diet N-P+

    Other: Diet N-P+

  • Experimental
    Diet N+P+

    Other: Diet N+P+

Interventions

  • OtherDiet N-P-

    Low in saturated fatty acids (SFAs), free sugar and sodium; Low in ultra-processed foods (UPFs)

  • OtherDiet N+P-

    Rich in SFAs, free sugar and sodium; Low in UPFs

  • OtherDiet N-P+

    Low in SFAs, free sugar and sodium; High in UPFs

  • OtherDiet N+P+

    Rich in SFAs, free sugar and sodium; High in UPFs

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Post treatment fasting LDL-C concentrations

    Fasting serum LDL-C concentrations (mmol/L) will be measured at the end of the 6-wk intervention in all subjects in each group, on two consecutive days post-treatment. The mean of the two post-treatment values will be used in the analyses. Analyses will be adjusted for LDL-C concentrations values measured at baseline.

    Time frame: 6 weeks

  2. Post treatment insulin sensitivity (HOMA-IR)

    Insulin sensitivity (HOMA-IR) will be measured in the fasted state at the end of the 6-wk intervention in all subjects in each group, on two consecutive days post-treatment. The mean of the two post-treatment values will be used in the analyses. Analyses will be adjusted for insulin sensitivity (HOMA-IR) values measured in the fasted state at baseline.

    Time frame: 6 weeks

  3. Post treatment day-time ambulatory systolic blood pressure

    Day-time ambulatory systolic blood pressure will be measured at the end of the 6-wk intervention in all subjects in each group. Analyses will be adjusted for day-time ambulatory systolic blood pressure values measured at baseline.

    Time frame: 6 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Post treatment fasting triglyceride

    Fasting serum triglyceride (mmol/L) will be measured at the end of the 6-wk intervention in all subjects in each group, on two consecutive days post-treatment. The mean of the two post-treatment values will be used in the analyses. Analyses will be adjusted for triglyceride concentrations values measured at baseline.

    Time frame: 6 weeks

  2. Post treatment ApoB-100

    Fasting serum ApoB-100 (mmol/L) will be measured at the end of the 6-wk intervention in all subjects in each group, on two consecutive days post-treatment. The mean of the two post-treatment values will be used in the analyses. Analyses will be adjusted for ApoB-100 concentrations values measured at baseline.

    Time frame: 6 weeks

  3. Post treatment HDL-C concentrations

    Fasting serum HDL-C concentrations (mmol/L) will be measured at the end of the 6-wk intervention in all subjects in each group, on two consecutive days post-treatment. The mean of the two post-treatment values will be used in the analyses. Analyses will be adjusted for HDL-C concentrations values measured at baseline.

    Time frame: 6 weeks

  4. Post treatment fasting glucose concentrations

    Fasting serum glucose concentrations (mmol/L) will be measured at the end of the 6-wk intervention in all subjects in each group, on two consecutive days post-treatment. The mean of the two post-treatment values will be used in the analyses. Analyses will be adjusted for glucose concentrations values measured at baseline.

    Time frame: 6 weeks

  5. Post treatment fasting insulin concentrations

    Fasting serum insulin concentrations (mmol/L) will be measured at the end of the 6-wk intervention in all subjects in each group, on two consecutive days post-treatment. The mean of the two post-treatment values will be used in the analyses. Analyses will be adjusted for insulin concentrations values measured at baseline.

    Time frame: 6 weeks

  6. Post treatment day-time ambulatory diastolic blood pressure

    Day-time ambulatory diastolic blood pressure will be measured at the end of the 6-wk intervention in all subjects in each group. Analyses will be adjusted for day-time ambulatory diastolic blood pressure values measured at baseline.

    Time frame: 6 weeks

  7. Post treatment 24-hr ambulatory systolic blood pressure

    24-hr ambulatory systolic blood pressure will be measured at the end of the 6-wk intervention in all subjects in each group. Analyses will be adjusted for 24-hr ambulatory systolic blood pressure values measured at baseline.

    Time frame: 6 weeks

  8. Post treatment 24-hr ambulatory diastolic blood pressure

    24-hr ambulatory diastolic blood pressure will be measured at the end of the 6-wk intervention in all subjects in each group. Analyses will be adjusted for 24-hr ambulatory diastolic blood pressure values measured at baseline.

    Time frame: 6 weeks

  9. On-treatment Diet palatability

    These are exploratory analyses. Scales measuring diet palatability will be completed during the same three days of the 7-day cycling menu during the first and last week of the 6-wk intervention. The mean of all measurements will be used in the analyses. Title of the scale: Main course evaluation. Minimum and maximum values : 1 to 8 . Higher scores are not synonymous of better or worse results.

    Time frame: 6 weeks

  10. On-treatment Perceived healthiness of meals

    These are exploratory analyses. Scales measuring perceived healthiness of meals will be completed during the same three days of the 7-day cycling menu during the first and last week of the 6-wk intervention. The mean of all measurements will be used in the analyses. Title of the scale: Opinion on your main course. Minimum and maximum values : 1 to 8 . Higher scores are not synonymous of better or worse results.

    Time frame: 6 weeks

  11. On-treatment Hunger and fullness perceptions

    These are exploratory analyses. Scales measuring hunger and fullness perceptions will be completed during the same three days of the 7-day cycling menu during the first and last week of the 6-wk intervention. The mean of all measurements will be used in the analyses. Title of the scale: Visual Analogue Scale - How hungry do you feel? Minimum and maximum values : Not hungry at all to very hungry. Higher scores are not synonymous with better or worse results. Title of the scale: Visual Analogue Scale - How full do you feel? Minimum and maximum values : Not at all full to very full. Higher scores are not synonymous of better or worse results.

    Time frame: 6 weeks

  12. Post-treatment Gut microbiota

    These are exploratory analyses in a subset of participants only. Deep 16S rDNA metagenomic analysis in feces collected at week 6 will be used to characterize gut microbiota composition and function. Analyses will be adjusted for baseline values of gut microbiota composition and function measured on fecal samples collected at baseline.

    Time frame: 6 weeks

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • Centre Nutrition, santé et société (NUTRISS), INAF, Université Laval
    Quebec, G1V 0A6, Canada
    Recruiting
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Oct 17, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06538831
Lead sponsor
Laval University
Collaborators
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
Responsible party
Benoit Lamarche (Study director, Laval University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Aug 6, 2024
Start date
Sep 25, 2024
Primary completion
Jun 30, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Aug 31, 2028 (estimated)
Last update
Oct 17, 2024

Study contacts

Benoît Lamarche, PhD
Contact
benoit.lamarche@fsaa.ulaval.ca
418-656-3527
Iris Gigleux, MSc
Contact
Iris.Gigleux@fsaa.ulaval.ca
418-656-2131 ext. 405087
Benoît Lamarche, PhD
principal investigator · Laval University

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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