An interventional study of MCT Beverage and LCT Beverage in Ketone Body, Lipid Metabolism and Glucose Response, sponsored by University of Milan. Recruiting at 1 site in Italy. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 40 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-30.
Sponsored by University of Milan · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effects of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), delivered in different formulations, on beta-hydroxybutyrate response (as a marker of ketone body production), lipid metabolism, and glucose responses in healthy adults.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
Do MCTs influence beta-hydroxybutyrate responses, lipid metabolism, and glucose responses differently compared to long-chain triglycerides (LCTs)?
Do different types of MCTs (natural sources containing C8 to C12 versus synthetic formulations containing only C8 and C10) lead to different beta-hydroxybutyrate, lipid, and glucose responses?
Does the form in which MCTs are consumed (e.g., powders or incorporated into foods) influence beta-hydroxybutyrate production, lipid metabolism, and glucose responses?
Researchers will compare five different lipid formulations to evaluate their effects on postprandial beta-hydroxybutyrate concentrations, blood lipid levels, and glucose.
Participants will:
Consume five different test products on separate study visits. Provide blood samples for up to five hours after each intake for metabolic measurements.
This randomized crossover study is designed to evaluate the metabolic effects of five different lipid-based formulations in healthy adults. Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are known to be rapidly absorbed and metabolized, promoting the production of ketone bodies, which can serve as an alternative energy source. However, metabolic responses to MCTs may vary depending on their fatty acid composition and the form in which they are consumed.
The study compares different lipid formulations, including long-chain triglycerides (LCTs), synthetic MCTs composed of C8 and C10 fatty acids, and MCTs derived from natural sources such as coconut oil (containing C8 to C12 fatty acids). In addition, the study evaluates the impact of the food matrix by comparing similar lipid compositions provided in different forms, including reconstituted powders and a solid food product.
Participants attend multiple study visits after an overnight fast and consume each test product in a randomized order. The amount of each product is adjusted to provide a standardized lipid dose of 0.5 g/kg of body weight, and a washout period of at least 7 days is applied between visits.
During each visit, blood samples are collected over a period of up to 5 hours after product consumption. Primary metabolic outcomes include postprandial beta-hydroxybutyrate concentrations (as a marker of ketone body production), glucose response, and triglyceride response. Secondary outcomes include circulating fatty acid profiles, ghrelin concentrations, and subjective appetite ratings assessed using visual analogue scales.
University of Milan is the lead sponsor of 183 studies on the registry; 28 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants receive all five test products in a randomized crossover design. The order of administration is randomized, and each product is provided in an amount adjusted to deliver a standardized lipid dose of 0.5 g/kg of body weight. A washout period of at least 7 days is applied between interventions.
Other: MCT Beverage · Other: LCT Beverage · Other: Synthetic MCT Powder · Other: Natural MCT Powder · Other: MCT Biscuit
Beverage containing medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). Administered in a quantity adjusted to provide a lipid dose of 0.5 g/kg of body weight.
Beverage containing long-chain triglycerides (LCTs). Administered in a quantity adjusted to provide a lipid dose of 0.5 g/kg of body weight.
Powder formulation containing synthetic medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) composed of C8 and C10 fatty acids, reconstituted in water before consumption. Administered in a quantity adjusted to provide a lipid dose of 0.5 g/kg of body weight.
Powder formulation containing medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) derived from coconut oil (containing fatty acids from C8 to C12), reconstituted in water before consumption. Administered to provide a lipid dose of 0.5 g/kg of body weight
Biscuit containing medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) derived from coconut oil. Administered in a quantity adjusted to provide a lipid dose of 0.5 g/kg of body weight.
Beta-hydroxybutyrate postprandial response
Beta-hydroxybutyrate concentrations measured at baseline and at 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, and 300 minutes after consumption of each test product to assess the metabolic response over time
Time frame: Up to 300 minutes post-ingestion
Glucose postprandial response
Serum glucose concentrations measured at baseline and at 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, and 300 minutes after consumption of each test product to assess the metabolic response over time.
Time frame: Up to 300 minutes post-ingestion
Triglyceride postprandial response
Serum triglyceride concentrations measured at baseline and at 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, and 300 minutes after consumption of each test product to assess the metabolic response over time.
Time frame: Up to 300 minutes post-ingestion
Fatty Acid Postprandial Response
Serum fatty acid concentrations measured at baseline and at 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, and 300 minutes after consumption of each test product.
Time frame: Up to 300 minutes post-ingestion
Ghrelin postprandial response
Blood ghrelin concentrations measured at baseline and at 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, and 300 minutes after consumption of each test product.
Time frame: Up to 300 minutes post-ingestion
Subjective appetite ratings (VAS)
Subjective appetite assessed using a 100-mm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), anchored at either end with opposite statements ("not at all" and "very much"), at baseline, immediately after product consumption, and at 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, and 300 minutes post-ingestion. Scores range from 0 to 100 mm, with higher scores indicating a greater intensity of the assessed sensation.
Time frame: Up to 300 minutes post-ingestion
Plan to share: No
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.
Contact study teamGet an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.