Clinical trial NCT05472701: SWAP-MEAT Athlete: Three Diets on Athletic Performance
Official title: SWAP-MEAT (Study With Appetizing Plant-Food, Meat Eating Alternatives Trial) Athlete
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Health Behavior
Keywords: muscular strength
endurance
plant-based diets
meat alternatives
omnivore diets
Lead sponsor: Stanford University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2022-07-25
Enrollment: 24
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 35
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: CROSSOVER
Intervention model description: SWAP-MEAT Athlete is a randomized crossover trial in which 12 recreational runners and 12 recreational resistance trainers are assigned to one of six possible diet orders. Each diet order contains three phases for four weeks each-Animal, Plant-Based Meat Alternatives (PBMA), and Whole Food Plant-Based (WFPB)-in random order.
Primary purpose: OTHER

Brief summary: This study aims to investigate the impact of two plant-based diets-whole food plant-based (WFPB) and plant-based meat alternatives (PBMA)-vs. an omnivorous diet (Animal) on endurance and muscular strength in recreational athletes.

Detailed description: Plant-based diets are environmentally sustainable and beneficial for cardiovascular health, but athletes are often concerned that these diets do not contain enough protein to support athletic performance. However, few randomized trials investigating the effect of plant-based vs. omnivorous diets on athletic performance have been conducted. Within this randomized crossover trial, recreational runners and resistance trainers will be assigned to three diets for four weeks each (WFPB, PBMA, and Animal). PMBA is an emerging, modern type of plant-based diet for which the impact on athletic performance has not yet been assessed. Participants will complete athletic fields at baseline and after each diet, and athletic performance on diets and study feasibility in this cohort of recreational athletes will be assessed. The study design was inspired by the original SWAP-MEAT study that investigated cardiovascular risk factors in adults consuming 8-week omnivorous and plant-based meat alternative diets (Crimarco, 2020).

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Generally healthy omnivorous adults between 18 and 35 years of age who report typically consuming at least 1 serving of meat per day and are willing to consume \~2 servings per day of animal meat, plant-based meat alternatives, and whole-food plant proteins.
* Participants will have been consistent recreational runners or weightlifters (3-4 times per week) for at least the prior 1 year, and currently run or lift 3-4 times per week.
* Runners will engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week. All participants will have habitually consumed an omnivorous diet for at least months.
* Participants will have self-reported good health and BMI 18.5-30.0.
* Participants must be able to commit to running or resistance training at least 3-4 times per week for the 12 week duration of the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Individuals who have participated in any restrictive diet within the last month, have any known nutrient intolerances, have orthopedic limitations, are participating in any other physical activity or diet study;
* Individuals consuming any performance enhancing drugs or medications known to interfere with athletic performance;
* Individuals who have a chronic disease or eating disorder, are currently pregnant or intend to become pregnant in the next three months, or have an intent to compete in any physical activity competition within the next 3 months.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Cooper 12-Minute Timed Run Test (Runners)
timeFrame: Baseline, Week 4, Week 8, Week 12
measure: Composite Machine Strength Index (Resistance Trainers)
timeFrame: Baseline, Week 4, Week 8, Week 12
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Estimated VO2 max (Runners)
timeFrame: Baseline, Week 4, Week 8, Week 12
measure: Maximum push-up and pull-up test
timeFrame: Baseline, Week 4, Week 8, Week 12
measure: Dietary intake and adherence
timeFrame: Baseline, Week 4, Week 8, Week 12
measure: Diet satisfaction
timeFrame: Week 4, Week 8, Week 12
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Stanford
country: United States
facility: Stanford University
state: California
Study officials:
affiliation: Stanford University
name: Christopher D Garnder, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Roberts AK, Busque V, Robinson JL, Landry MJ, Gardner CD. SWAP-MEAT Athlete (study with appetizing plant-food, meat eating alternatives trial) - investigating the impact of three different diets on recreational athletic performance: a randomized crossover trial. Nutr J. 2022 Nov 16;21(1):69. doi: 10.1186/s12937-022-00820-x.