High Protein Diet and Atherosclerosis
Public ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT05235464. Field values are reproduced from the official study page; the official ClinicalTrials.gov record remains the source of truth for eligibility, enrollment, and contact information.
Data is sourced from official ClinicalTrials.gov public API records. Always review the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for the latest information.
Official title
Dissecting the Impact of Dietary Protein on Macrophage mTOR Signaling and Atherosclerosis
Brief summary
Reproduced verbatim from the official ClinicalTrials.gov record. Not medical advice.
Atherosclerosis is the underlying cause of the majority of cardiovascular diseases, including myocardial infarction and strokes, and results in tremendous morbidity and mortality. A Western-type diet is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis because of the high saturated fat, cholesterol, and refined carbohydrate contents. Dietary strategies to reduce cardiovascular disease burden therefore focus on restriction of saturated fat, cholesterol, and refined carbohydrates whereas "lean" protein intake is recommended and has become popular. However, results from studies conducted in animal models suggest high dietary protein intake is also atherogenic. The investigators' extensive preliminary data in animal models show that dietary protein increases atherosclerotic plaque formation and size and promotes necrotic core formation, a characteristic of rupture-prone plaques. The goal of the current proposal is to provide deeper insights into the relationship between protein intake and the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis by studying the mechanisms involved in protein-mediated atherogenesis and formation of necrotic plaques. The overarching hypothesis is that high protein intake drives atherosclerosis via leucine-mediated mTORC1 signaling in macrophages, which inhibits macrophage mitophagy and aggrephagy and stimulates macrophage proliferation. Furthermore, the investigators hypothesize that proteins from animal sources are more atherogenic than proteins from plant sources, because animal proteins contain more leucine than plant proteins. The investigators will test these hypotheses by using a sophisticated array of experimental strategies, including assays in primary macrophages and human monocyte-derived macrophages and genetically engineered mouse models. In addition, they will begin to translate the results obtained in vitro and in animals to people, and explore approaches to pharmacologically target the pro-atherogenic pathways as novel cardiovascular therapeutics. This proposal represents a paradigm shift in how a Western-type diet affects vascular health which has important implications since many adults in Western societies consume excess protein and dietary protein is heavily marketed for its presumed beneficial health effects.
Study identification
- NCT ID
- NCT05235464
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Not applicable
- Enrollment
- 24 participants
Conditions and interventions
Conditions
Interventions
- Standard meal Other
- High animal protein meal Other
- High plant protein meal Other
- High plant protein meal with additional leucine Other
Other
Eligibility (public fields only)
- Age range
- 45 Years to 75 Years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepts healthy volunteers
This page does not interpret eligibility. Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria are on the official ClinicalTrials.gov record.
Study timeline
- Start date
- Mar 12, 2023
- Primary completion
- Mar 30, 2027
- Completion
- Mar 30, 2028
- Last update posted
- May 10, 2026
2023 – 2028
United States locations
- U.S. sites
- 1
- U.S. states
- 1
- U.S. cities
- 1
| Facility | City | State | ZIP | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Missouri School of Medicine | Columbia | Missouri | 65212 | Recruiting |
Site contact phone numbers, emails, and investigator names are intentionally not displayed here. Open the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for site contact information.
About this trial record page
- What this page shows
- Public field values for ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT05235464, including study identification, conditions, interventions, eligibility (age, sex, healthy volunteer), timeline, and U.S. site list.
- What this page does not do
- No medical advice, eligibility judgments, treatment recommendations, study quality scoring, or AI-generated medical summaries. No site contact phone numbers, emails, or investigator names.
- Where the data comes from
- Sourced from the official ClinicalTrials.gov public API. The official record is the source of truth.
- Last refresh
- Last update posted May 10, 2026 · Synced Sep 3, 2026
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Open the official record
The complete protocol, eligibility criteria, and contact information for NCT05235464 live on ClinicalTrials.gov.