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Milk Intervention Study for Brain Aging

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Brain Aging
Interventions
Dietary Supplement: Control
Dietary Supplement: 1% Milk
Registration Number
NCT02957422
Lead Sponsor
University of Kansas Medical Center
Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to learn if increased dairy food consumption helps brain health in older adults by protecting nerve cells from damage.

Detailed Description

Eating more dairy foods may improve brain health as people age by increasing the brain's natural defenses to protect nerve cells against chemical stress. Researchers think there may be a relationship between the brain's natural defense system and the amount of dairy food intake. Strengthening these defenses could provide beneficial protection to the brain against neurodegenerative age-related diseases and cognitive decline.

Glutathione (GSH) is a metabolite in the human brain protective system. It plays a key role in protecting cells against oxidative stress, which is one of the major processes contributing to aging and neurodegeneration. Preliminary findings suggest that there may be a correlation between dairy food intake and GSH levels in the aging brain. Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) measures chemicals in the brain. It is a noninvasive measure of the effects of dairy food intake on the major protective metabolite levels in the living human brain in aging.

This study involves using an MRI with special MRS scans to see if adequate dairy food intake may aid in enhancing cerebral protective capacity to fight against age-related disease and cognitive decline in the brain.

Participants will be asked to make a total of six visits to the research site. Participation will last about 3 months.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
70
Inclusion Criteria
  • Good general health with no concomitant diseases which could interfere with the study
  • Low dairy consumption (≤ 1.5 dairy serving/day)
  • Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) ≥ 24
  • body mass index (BMI) range: 18.5 - 35 kg/m2
Exclusion Criteria
  • Presence of any central neurological diseases or prior major head trauma with loss of consciousness
  • Presence of an active unstable and life-threatening systemic illness (e.g., cancer)
  • Presence of major psychiatric disorders within the past 3 years including depression, anxiety, and alcohol or drug abuse
  • Presence of diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome or uncontrolled hypertension
  • Use of psychoactive and investigational medications
  • Subjects with MRI contraindications such as pacemaker, aneurysm clips, artificial heart valves, metal fragments, foreign objects or claustrophobia.
  • Pregnancy
  • Special diet regimens such as lactose free or vegan

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
ControlControlParticipants will receive no additional intervention. Participants will continue on their regular diet, which includes ≤1.5 dairy serving/day.
Dietary intervention1% MilkParticipants will receive dietary intervention. Participants will be taking 3 servings of dairy/day.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change in Glutathione (GSH) levelsChange from Baseline to Month 3

GSH levels are measured in frontal and parietal regions of the brain using our multiple quantum filtered chemical shift imaging (MQ CSI) technique with a 3 T clinical scanner.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Kansas Medical Center

🇺🇸

Kansas City, Kansas, United States

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