# Increased Protein at Breakfast for Weight Management in Overweight Adolescents

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN · 2020 · $613,588

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract:
Adolescent obesity continues to be a major public health concern due to the increased risk of developing
chronic diseases, including, but not limited to, type 2 diabetes. Thus, strategies are vitally needed that target
weight management and glycemic control to reverse the obesity epidemic and prevent and/or delay serious
health complications in young people. The daily consumption of breakfast has been touted as an essential part
of the diet to prevent and/or treat obesity. While breakfast was once thought to be `the most important meal of
the day', this notion has recently been challenged due to the paucity of existing causal evidence. In addition,
interest in the study of breakfast and weight management has highlighted the importance of macronutrient
content, particularly increased dietary protein at breakfast, as a critical factor. Pilot data has illustrated
reductions in body fat mass and improvements in glycemic control following the daily consumption of high
protein breakfasts over a short period in overweight adolescents. However, it is unclear as to whether these
effects would occur over the long-term and what mechanisms-of-action contribute to the improvements in
these health outcomes. Aim 1 will determine whether a causal link exists between breakfast, particularly one
rich in dietary protein, and weight management in young people. To accomplish this, 150 overweight, habitual
breakfast-skipping adolescents will complete the following long-term randomized, tightly-controlled breakfast
trial. Participants will be randomly provided with high protein breakfasts (350kcal; 34% protein (30g protein),
40% CHO, and 26% fat); isocaloric normal protein breakfasts (350kcal; 11% protein (10g protein), 63% CHO,
and 26% fat); or will continue to skip breakfast for 6 mo. Baseline, 3, and 6 body weight, body composition,
and free-living glycemic control will be assessed. In addition, daily intake, with particular focus on evening
snacking behavior, will also be measured at baseline, 3, and 6 mo. Aim 2 will identify the appetitive, hormonal,
and neural signals by which a protein breakfast modulates ingestive (i.e., eating) behavior and weight
management. To address this aim, a sub-set of the 150 (n=75) will complete 10-h testing days during baseline,
3, and 6 mo. Repeated assessments of perceived appetite, satiety, and food cravings along with appetite-
regulating hormonal responses (i.e., plasma ghrelin, GLP-1, PYY, and HVA (the primary dopamine
metabolite)) will be measured throughout the day. On a separate day, post-breakfast and pre-dinner functional
(fMRI) brain scans will also be completed to identify neural activation to food stimuli in cortico-limbic brain
regions known to modulate food motivation, reward, and cravings. Aim 3 will identify specific appetitive,
hormonal, and neural signals as strong predictors of ingestive behavior and weight management. The
measures collected in Aim 2 will be analyzed in combination with ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9988224
- **Project number:** 5R01DK107390-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
- **Principal Investigator:** Heather J Leidy
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $613,588
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-07-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9988224

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9988224, Increased Protein at Breakfast for Weight Management in Overweight Adolescents (5R01DK107390-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9988224. Licensed CC0.

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