Resting energy expenditure and thermic effect of a high-fat meal in the early follicular and mid-luteal phases of the menstrual cycle: a crossover trial protocol
- 1University of Ottawa
Abstract
IntroductionMenstrual cycle phase has been proposed as a source of intra-individual variability in resting energy expenditure and the thermic effect of food in premenopausal females, yet studies examining the thermic effect of food across menstrual cycle phases report conflicting findings.
MethodsThis protocol describes a secondary analysis of prespecified outcomes from a non-randomized, two-period crossover trial primarily designed to assess postprandial plasma triglyceride concentrations across menstrual cycle phases (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT07459465) in 12 premenopausal females aged 18-30 years, free of chronic disease and hormonal contraceptive use, recruited in Ottawa, Canada. Participants will complete two experimental sessions: one in the early follicular phase and one in the mid-luteal phase, each involving consumption of a high-fat meal. Eleven secondary outcomes will be reported: fasting resting energy expenditure, thermic effect of food, respiratory exchange ratio, carbohydrate oxidation rate, lipid oxidation rate, desire to eat, hunger, fullness, prospective food consumption, serum {beta}-estradiol, and serum progesterone. Masked outcome analyses will be performed using linear mixed-effects models.
ResultsRecruitment began on 26 March 2026; results will be reported in the Stage 2 manuscript.
DiscussionFindings from this trial may help clarify whether menstrual cycle phase constitutes a meaningful source of intra-individual variability in energy metabolism, with implications for the design of metabolic research in premenopausal females.
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BibTeX
@misc{goulet2026resting,
title = {{Resting energy expenditure and thermic effect of a high-fat meal in the early follicular and mid-luteal phases of the menstrual cycle: a crossover trial protocol}},
author = {N. Goulet and S. Lyndon and N. Beauregard and K. McInnis and J.-F. Mauger and E. Doucet and P. Imbeault},
howpublished = {medRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = may,
doi = {10.64898/2026.05.25.26354032},
url = {https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.05.25.26354032v3},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Resting energy expenditure and thermic effect of a high-fat meal in the early follicular and mid-luteal phases of the menstrual cycle: a crossover trial protocol
AU - N. Goulet
AU - S. Lyndon
AU - N. Beauregard
AU - K. McInnis
AU - J.-F. Mauger
AU - E. Doucet
AU - P. Imbeault
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/05/25
PB - medRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.05.25.26354032
UR - https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.05.25.26354032v3
AB - IntroductionMenstrual cycle phase has been proposed as a source of intra-individual variability in resting energy expenditure and the thermic effect of food in premenopausal females, yet studies examining the thermic effect of food across menstrual cycle phases report conflicting findings. MethodsThis protocol describes a secondary analysis of prespecified outcomes from a non-randomized, two-period crossover trial primarily designed to assess postprandial plasma triglyceride concentrations across menstrual cycle phases (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT07459465) in 12 premenopausal females aged 18-30 years, free of chronic disease and hormonal contraceptive use, recruited in Ottawa, Canada. Participants will complete two experimental sessions: one in the early follicular phase and one in the mid-luteal phase, each involving consumption of a high-fat meal. Eleven secondary outcomes will be reported: fasting resting energy expenditure, thermic effect of food, respiratory exchange ratio, carbohydrate oxidation rate, lipid oxidation rate, desire to eat, hunger, fullness, prospective food consumption, serum {beta}-estradiol, and serum progesterone. Masked outcome analyses will be performed using linear mixed-effects models. ResultsRecruitment began on 26 March 2026; results will be reported in the Stage 2 manuscript. DiscussionFindings from this trial may help clarify whether menstrual cycle phase constitutes a meaningful source of intra-individual variability in energy metabolism, with implications for the design of metabolic research in premenopausal females.
ER -