Does ethnicity affect blood pressure regulation?
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN38424862 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN38424862 |
| Protocol serial number | N/A |
| Sponsor | University of Fribourg - Faculty of Science and Medicine |
| Funder | Intramural funding from the budget provided by the Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg |
- Submission date
- 08/11/2018
- Registration date
- 04/12/2018
- Last edited
- 19/12/2018
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Circulatory System
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Cardiovascular diseases are still one of the worldwide leading causes for hospitalisation and death, with an immense effect on healthcare and social budgets. This has led leading authorities and institutions to increase their effort concerning primary prevention and personalized medicine. In this context, a very popular primary prevention strategy comes with reducing the intake of sugar-sweetened beverages because of their impact on cardiovascular and metabolic health. Recently, our group has shown that that blood pressure – a major contributor for cardiovascular diseases – responses to glucose were different between Caucasian and South Asian individuals.
We aim to investigate blood pressure regulation in subjects from South Asian and Caucasian ancestry and hypothesize that subjects from South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or Nepal) exhibit an increased blood pressure response to an oral glucose drink when compared to matched group of Caucasian individuals.
Who can participate?
Healthy adult males aged 20-31 who are either Caucasian or South Asian (South Asian individuals must originate from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or Nepal)
What does the study involve?
All study participants will undergo the same treatment, where they drink a sugary solution comprised of 75 g of glucose dissolved in 300 mL of tap water within 4 minutes. Subsequently, the blood pressure responses to this test will be measured and compared between people from South Asian and Caucasian ancestry.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
There is no benefit in participating in this study with the exception of a comprehensive cardiovascular investigation, which could reveal certain conditions such as elevation of blood pressure levels, impaired glucose metabolism or type 2 diabetes.
The blood sampling process (i.e. cannulation and manipulation on the catheter to withdraw the blood sample) may result in a very slight pain, as well as removal of the electrodes. Moreover, it is possible that bruises emerge on the spot where blood is collected.
Where is the study run from?
Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Cardiovascular System at the Faculty of Science and Medicine at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
June 2018 to December 2019
Who is funding the study?
Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg (Switzerland)
Who is the main contact?
Erik Konrad Grasser
erikkonrad.grasser@unifr.ch
Contact information
Scientific
Chemin du Musée 5
Fribourg
1700
Switzerland
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-6193-1998 |
|---|
Study information
| Primary study design | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Study design | Interventional prospective randomised controlled trial |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study type | Participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | Cardiovascular and metabolic responses to glucose in South Asians and Caucasians: the impact of ethnicity on blood pressure regulation |
| Study objectives | Blood pressure dysregulation (increasing blood pressure parameters in response to a standardized glucose drink) will occur more frequently in people from South Asian ancestry compared to people from Caucasian ancestry. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Commission cantonale (Vaud, Switzerland) d’éthique de la recherché sur l’être humain (CER-VD), 06/08/2015, 239/1 Study amendment approval by Commission cantonale (Vaud, Switzerland) d’éthique de la recherché sur l’être humain (CER-VD), on 05/10/2018, PB_2018-00178 (239/15) |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Blood pressure regulation |
| Intervention | Participants enter the study in a randomised fashion after an initial recruitment process. The order of the subject’s test entry before the very first test will be randomised by using a random sequence generator where the test entry order will be determined for each subject. All participants will complete an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) using a glucose drink containing 75 g of glucose dissolved in 300 ml water. This will be ingested over a 4 minute period. Changes in blood glucose levels will be monitored before the OGTT and 120 minutes following this. A normal OGTT will be classed as a 2 hour blood glucose value less than 140 mg/dL (less than 7.8 mmol/L). An impaired OGTT will be classed as a 2 hour glucose value between 140 and 199 mg/dL (7.8–11.1 mmol/L). Every test with an impaired OGTT will not enter further analysis. |
| Intervention type | Other |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
1. The following haemodynamic parameters will be assessed continuously, starting with a 30 minute baseline and continued after the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) for another 120 minutes using a Task Force Monitor: |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
1. The following haemodynamic parameters will be assessed continuouslty during the 30 minute baseline and over the 120 minutes following the OGTT: |
| Completion date | 31/12/2019 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Healthy volunteer |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Lower age limit | 18 Years |
| Sex | Male |
| Target sample size at registration | 24 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Healthy 2. Non-smoking 3. EITHER of South Asian ancestry (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or Nepal) OR Caucasian 4. BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m² 5. Aged 20-30 years 6. Male |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Diagnosed as diabetics based on the following criteria: 1.1. Fasting glucose levels equal to or exceeds 126 mg/dL (7.0 mmol/L) 1.2. 2 HOUR glucose equal to or exceeds 200 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L) 2. Any medical condition which could interfere with the measured variables, including cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, neurological or overt metabolic disorders 3. Currently using medication for acute or chronic illness 4. Competition athletes 5. Overtly sedentary 6. Eating disorders 7. Fear or have adverse reactions to cannulation |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/01/2019 |
| Date of final enrolment | 30/09/2019 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Switzerland
Study participating centre
Fribourg
1700
Switzerland
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Not expected to be made available |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are not expected to be made available as we will not have consent from our participants to share any of their data and therefore we are legally not allowed to disseminate the subject’s data. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participant information sheet | Participant information sheet | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
| Study website | Study website | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
Editorial Notes
19/12/2018: Internal review.
