Oxytocin and Eating

Yale-NUS College60 enrolled

Overview

In this protocol, the investigators propose a randomised controlled trial to explore the effects of intra-nasal oxytocin administration on appetite regulation. The investigators will run a cross-over design with 60 healthy adult men.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

QUADRUPLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Weight Gain

Interventions

SyntocinonDRUG

Intra-nasal oxytocin

PlacebosDRUG

Intra-nasal placebo

Eligibility

Sex: MALEMin age: 21 YearsMax age: 45 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Gender: Male * Age: 21-45 years * Normal weight: Body mass index of 18.5 to 22.9 * Have had a stable weight for the past 3 months (less than 5kg) * Have regular breakfast meals (≥ 4 times a week of self-reported consumption of a breakfast meal) * Have habitual sleep of 6.5-8.5 hours * Have English as first language (or fluent in spoken and written English) Exclusion Criteria: * Symptoms / history of any major medical condition, including: * Bariatric surgery or surgical obesity treatment * Diabetes * Cardiovascular disease * Thyroid disease * Anaemia * Psychiatric disorders * Eating disorders * Excessive exercise (running \> 40 km or exercising \> 10 hr in a week) * Currently on a special diet or trying deliberately to restrict food intake * Currently on a weight loss program * Smoking or substance abuse * Use of medications that can affect weight (e.g., steroids, approved weight-loss drugs)

Locations (1)

Yale-NUS College

Singapore, Singapore

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Taste sensitivity

Taste thresholds for primary taste senses, measured using psychophysical staircase procedures

Time frame: 2-hour span following oxytocin administration

Taste preference

Measured using the positive/negative generalised Labeled Magnitude Scale used to assess pleasantness

Time frame: 2-hour span following oxytocin administration

Value placed upon food

Willingness to pay for food (vs non-food items) in a Becker-DeGroot-Marschak auction task

Time frame: 2-hour span following oxytocin administration

Secondary Outcomes

Subjective ratings of hunger and fullness

Measured using 100-point Visual Analogue Scales

Time frame: 2-hour span following oxytocin administration

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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