The Long-Term Effects of Mixed Nuts Consumption on Brain Vascular Function in Elderly Men and Women
Overview
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Intervention
- Not specified
- Conditions
- Brain Vascular Function
- Sponsor
- Maastricht University Medical Center
- Enrollment
- 28
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Brain Vascular Function
- Status
- Completed
- Last Updated
- 4 years ago
Overview
Brief Summary
Impaired brain vascular function precedes the development of reduced cognitive performance, while brain insulin-resistance is also associated with cognitive decline. The Mediterranean diet, which is rich in nuts, may protect against the development of impaired cognitive performance. The hypothesis is that long-term mixed nut consumption increases brain insulin-sensitivity thereby improving brain vascular function and cognitive performance. The primary objective is to evaluate in elderly men and women the effect of 16-week mixed nut consumption on cerebral blood flow, as quantified by the non-invasive gold standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-perfusion method Arterial Spin Labelling (ASL). Cerebral blood flow is a robust and sensitive physiological marker of brain vascular function. Secondary objectives are to investigate effects on the cerebral blood flow response to intranasal insulin delivery - a marker of insulin-sensitivity in the human brain - as quantified by ASL, and cognitive functioning as assessed with a neuropsychological test battery.
Investigators
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •Aged between 60-70 years
- •BMI between 25-35 kg/m2
- •Fasting plasma glucose \< 7.0 mmol/L
- •Fasting serum total cholesterol \< 8.0 mmol/L
- •Fasting serum triacylglycerol \< 4.5 mmol/L
- •Systolic blood pressure \< 160 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure \< 100 mmHg
- •Stable body weight (weight gain or loss \< 3 kg in the past three months)
- •Willingness to give up being a blood donor from 8 weeks before the start of the study, during the study and for 4 weeks after completion of the study
- •No difficult venipuncture as evidenced during the screening visit
Exclusion Criteria
- •Allergy or intolerance to nuts
- •Left-handedness
- •Current smoker, or smoking cessation \< 12 months
- •Diabetic patients
- •Familial hypercholesterolemia
- •Abuse of drugs
- •More than 3 alcoholic consumptions per day
- •Use of products or dietary supplements known to interfere with the main outcomes as judged by the principal investigators
- •Use medication to treat blood pressure, lipid or glucose metabolism
- •Use of an investigational product within another biomedical intervention trial within the previous 1-month
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Brain Vascular Function
Time Frame: Change in outcomes at the end of a 16-week mixed nuts intervention and 16-week control period.
Cerebral blood flow as quantified non-invasively by the MRI perfusion method Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL)
Secondary Outcomes
- Brain Insulin Sensitivity(Change in outcomes at the end of a 16-week mixed nuts intervention and 16-week control period.)
- Cognitive performance(Change in outcomes at the end of a 16-week mixed nuts intervention and 16-week control period.)