Leucine Requirements During Pregnancy
This study aims to understand how much leucine, an essential amino acid, and protein building block, healthy pregnant women need during early and late pregnancy. Leucine plays an important role in supporting muscle health and fetal growth. Participants will consume carefully prepared meals and provide breath, urine sam
| Condition(s) | Pregnancy, Dietary Analysis, Protein |
|---|---|
| Status | Recruiting |
| Phase | NA |
| Study type | Interventional |
| Summary | This study aims to understand how much leucine, an essential amino acid, and protein building block, healthy pregnant women need during early and late pregnancy. Leucine plays an important role in supporting muscle health and fetal growth. Participants will consume carefully prepared meals and provide breath, urine samples, and one blood sample so researchers can measure how the body uses leucine at different stages of pregnancy. The results will help improve nutrition guidelines for pregnant women to better support maternal health and healthy fetal development. |
| Who can participate | Inclusion Criteria: * Pregnant women aged 20-40 years. (This age range represents typical reproductive age and minimizes potential confounding effects related to adolescent growth or age-associated metabolic changes.) * Singleton pregnancy. (Restricting participation to singleton pregnancies reduces variability in nutrient requirements and metabolic demands associated with multiple gestations.) * Gestational age of either 11-20 weeks (early gestation) or 31-40 weeks (late gestation). (These time points represent physiologically distinct stages of pregnancy, allowing comparison of leucine requirements across early and late gestation.) * Participants who take part in early gestation, can participate in late gestation, if they meet all inclusion criteria. * Good general health with no acute o |
| Ages | 20 Years to 40 Years |
| Sex | Female |
| Accepts healthy volunteers | Yes |
| Lead sponsor | University of British Columbia |
| Locations | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Start date | 2026-04-01 |
| NCT ID | NCT07437248 |
| Official listing | https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07437248 |