Radioactive sugar tracer reveals hidden metabolic pathways in obesity
NCT ID NCT07690176
First seen Jul 08, 2026 · Last updated Jul 09, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study investigates how the body processes glucose after a high-sugar meal in lean individuals and those with obesity. Participants drink a tiny, safe amount of radioactive glucose so researchers can trace exactly where the sugar goes—into breath, urine, or stool—and measure whether a lesser-known pathway (the polyol pathway) is more active in obesity. The goal is to understand fundamental differences in glucose metabolism that could explain why obesity increases the risk of diabetes and other metabolic disorders.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- low-glycemic breakfast with 14C-glucose microtracer
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could reveal why obesity alters glucose processing, potentially pointing to new targets for managing or preventing metabolic disease.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage observational study (24 people) that measures metabolic pathways, not clinical outcomes. Results may not apply to broader populations or lead directly to treatments.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 24 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Feb 2026
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Healthy males and females using contraception during and for 3 months after the study. * Aged from 18-65 years at the time of signing informed consent * 18.5 \< BMI \< 25 kg·m2 or 30\< BMI \<35 kg·m2 * Must be willing and able to communicate and participate in the whole study, including consumption of 14C-glucose and meals offered during study conduct * Must have regular bowel movements (i.e. average stool production of ≥1 and ≤3 stools per day) * Must usually eat 3 meals per day (i.e. breakfast, lunch and dinner) Exclusion Criteria: * Diabetes (Type 1, Type 2, or genetic form of diabetes) * Any diagnosed cardiovascular (heart) disease or high blood pressure (≥140 mmHg systolic and/or ≥90 mmHg diastolic) * HbA1c higher than 53 mmol/mol * History of clinically significant cardiovascular, renal, hepatic, chronic respiratory or gastro-intestinal disease, immunodeficiency, endocrine, neurological, or psychiatric disorders * Any diagnosed respiratory disease, such as COPD or asthma * Any previous motor disorders or disorders in muscle and/or lipid metabolism * Known severe kidney problems * Presence of an ulcer in the stomach or gut and/or strong history of indigestion * Recent or chronic history of diarrhoea * Known anaemia * A personal or family history of thrombosis (clots), epilepsy, seizures, or schizophrenia. * Regular use of dietary supplements (\>3 times per week) * Chronic use of any prescribed or over the counter pharmaceuticals (excluding oral contraceptives and contraceptive devices) * History of any drug or alcohol abuse in the past two years * A confirmed positive alcohol breath test at screening or admission * Drug use * Claustrophobia * Subjects who are on a weight loss diet or following a high calorific/high protein diet to gain weight * Subjects with functional constipation * Any known food allergies or intolerances to the 14 major food allergens (celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites) or history of a malabsorption syndrome including coeliac disease * Subjects who have regular gastrointestinal complaints including abdominal pain, stomach upsets and borborygmi or known or suspected irritable bowel syndrome * Currently taking part in another scientific research * Having received a product with 14C in the past 12 months * Pregnant or breastfeeding * Smoking or having used nicotine-containing products in the 6 months prior to the study. * Subjects who have taken antibiotics within the 60 days prior to the adaptation period. * Currently involved in a structured progressive resistance training programme (\>3 times per week) * Sedentary lifestyle as assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire \[IPAQ\]. * Unable to give consent * Employed or undertaking a thesis or internship at the department of Human and Animal Physiology
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Wageningen University and Research
RECRUITINGWageningen, 6708 WD, Netherlands
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