Study Comparing Effects of Dairy and Plant-Based Products on Blood Sugar and Nutrition in Adolescents and Older Adults

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are comparing the effects of dairy products and plant-based alternatives on blood sugar control and nutrient quality in healthy adolescents aged 14 to 18 and older adults aged 60 to 75. This study aims to understand how these different types of foods influence blood sugar regulation and related hormones in these age groups. Participants are healthy individuals without diabetes, and the study is conducted by the University of Toronto in a Nutrition Intervention Center. Participants will be randomly assigned to consume either dairy or plant-based alternative products during the study. The dairy options include items like 2% cows milk, dairy yogurt, cottage cheese, and isolated whey protein beverage. The plant-based alternatives include soy beverage, plant-based yogurt, tofu, simulated milk, and isolated soy protein beverage. Each participant will consume only one type of dairy or plant-based product depending on their trial group. During study visits, participants will consume these products along with a pizza meal. Participants will visit the Nutrition Intervention Center three times one 30-minute screening visit and two study visits of approximately 2.5 hours each, spaced over at least two weeks. Before each study visit, participants will fast overnight for 12 hours and maintain their usual diet and sleep habits while avoiding exercise, alcohol, cannabis, and protein supplements. Blood samples and questionnaires will be collected to measure blood sugar, insulin, hormones, and amino acids over 145 minutes after consuming the test products. The research team will monitor participants responses to evaluate differences in glycemic response and appetite regulation.

Comparison of Dairy and Plant-based Alternatives in Adolescents and Older Adults