Clinical Research Directory

A Study of NatureU Burn on Satiety in Healthy Adults

This single-center, single-blind, non-randomized crossover exploratory study evaluated the short-term effects of NatureU Burn on postprandial satiety in healthy adults. NatureU Burn is an oral dietary supplement containing Irvingia gabonensis seed extract and high-molecular-weight inulin. Fourteen healthy adults were enrolled, and 12 participants completed the study and were included in the effectiveness analysis. Each participant completed two test sessions separated by at least 48 hours: a reference food session with 75 g medical anhydrous glucose in 250 mL warm purified water and a test food session with one capsule of NatureU Burn plus 75 g glucose in 250 mL warm purified water. Satiety-related questionnaire scores were assessed at fasting baseline and at 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, and 240 minutes after the first bite in each session. The study assessed fullness, hunger, desire for food, and prospective food consumption, and monitored adverse reactions.

Free-living Validation of the RFPM in Adolescents

The primary aim of this small study is to test the validity of the Remote Food Photography Method and an updated SmartIntake app in a sample of adolescents. The investigators will test the validity (accuracy) of the method/app at estimating energy intake in free-living conditions over approximately three days compared to doubly labeled water. This is a small study that has low statistical power, but will provide important data nonetheless and inform future research.

Impact of Training Load on the Gut miCrobiome And Its Relation to exeRcise Performance, mUscle Phenotype, and markerS of Overreaching in Healthy Men

The goal of this study is to learn how different amounts of supervised indoor cycling training change gut health (gut bacteria, the substances gut bacteria make, and the gut barrier integrity), and how these changes relate to changes in fitness, muscle health, and signs of doing too much training (a state called 'overreaching'). The study includes healthy, recreationally active men aged 18 to 45 years. The primary questions, for which the study is powered (sufficient participants included), are: 1. Does moderate load training change blood and faecal levels of butyrate (a short-chain fatty acid made by gut bacteria) after eight weeks compared with a control group? 2. Compared to moderate load training, do higher training loads lead to different responses in blood and faecal levels of butyrate? Researchers will compare: * A control group that does not complete structured training; * A moderate-load training group that completes eight weeks of supervised cycling (4x/week); * A high-load training group that completes four weeks of moderate-load training followed by four weeks of higher training load (twice the number of training sessions). Participants will: * Be randomly assigned to one of the three groups; * Complete 8 weeks of supervised indoor cycling sessions if assigned to a training group; * Complete four study assessment periods (baseline, after week four, after week eight, and after a short taper (rest period); * Provide blood, stool, skeletal muscle, urine, saliva, and breath samples during the assessment periods; * Complete fitness and performance tests and questionnaires during the assessment periods.

Evaluating the Impact of the Eating Matters Program on the Nutritional Status of Medical Rehab Patients at Joseph Brant Hospital

This research study will determine the impact of the Eating Matters Program on the nutritional status of elderly patients at Joseph Brant Hospital. The Eating Matters Program at Joseph Brant Hospital is a volunteer-based feeding assistance program that aims to improve patients' nutritional intake by providing assistance during mealtimes. As research on the impact of such programs on food intake is limited in Canada, this study will explore how the Eating Matters Program influences protein and energy intake of patients at Joseph Brant Hospital. Further, this study will explore if the hypothesized increase in protein and energy intake with the initiation of the Eating Matters Program is correlated with a decreased risk of malnutrition.

Decision-making and Food Intake

The study will investigate how the expectation of food availability impacts the response to food cues, mood, interoceptive awareness, and consumption of food intake in healthy, naturally cycling women.