Effect of Mid-morning Snacks on Cognitive Performance, Satiety, Food Intake, and Glycemic Response in Normal Weight Adults
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Completed
- Enrollment
- 26
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Change from baseline executive function
Study Overview
Brief Summary
To characterize the effects of three chocolate snacks on cognitive performance, subjective appetite, food intake control, and glycemic response in normal weight adults.
Detailed Description
On 4 separate mornings, 7 days apart, 12 hours after an overnight fast, and 3 hours after a standardized breakfast of a cereal bar, orange juice and fruit cup, participants will consume isocaloric snacks of white chocolate, 2 types of dark chocolate or control (water), followed by an ad libitum pizza lunch 90 minutes later. Upon arrival, at baseline (0 minutes), participants will be asked to complete the motivation-to-eat, global vigor and subjective emotion visual analogue scales (VAS), a battery of cognitive performance tasks and have blood samples taken, as reported and validated in our previous studies. Over the 90 minute testing period, blood samples will be taken,the VAS questions will be completed and cognitive tasks will be completed. Cognitive performance assessments will include learning and memory, spatial memory, attention and processing speed, and executive functions. VAS measuring physical comfort is completed pre- and post-meal. Ad libitum food intake from a test meal will be measured.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Crossover
- Primary Purpose
- Other
- Masking
- Double (Participant, Investigator)
Masking Description
treatments are in individual packages labelled "A", "B" and "C". Study participants and investigators are blinded to the composition of the test treatments.
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to 35 Years (Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- •be between 18 and 35 years of age
- •be healthy and have a have body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 24.9
- •not be taking any medications, not smoking, and
- •not have allergies to chocolate, dairy or gluten
- •be tested during the early follicular phase of their menstrual cycle for women
Exclusion Criteria
- •anyone with food sensitivities or allergies to chocolate, dairy or gluten,
- •diabetic or overweight/obese individuals.
- •Restrained eating habits, defined as scoring greater than 11 points on the eating habits questionnaire
Arms & Interventions
Control
250 mL of water
Intervention: Control (Other)
White Chocolate
White chocolate (40 g)
Intervention: White chocolate (Other)
Dark chocolate 1
Dark chocolate (40 g)
Intervention: Dark chocolate 1 (Other)
Dark chocolate 2
Dark chocolate (46 g) possibly containing caffeine and/or theobromine
Intervention: Dark chocolate 2 (Other)
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Change from baseline executive function
Time Frame: At Baseline, 15, 45, and 75 minutes
Will be assessed the Stroop task via the Membrain application. Participants will be presented with a list of words presented in colors that match the word (congruent, the word 'red' presented in red) or colors that do not match the word (incongruent, the word 'red' presented in blue). Participants will be asked to identify the color of the word, not the word itself. The task is scored for the number of correct and incorrect colors identified, as well as total time to completion. This test will be at each time-point and will take 1 minute to complete.
Verbal declarative memory
Time Frame: At 15 minutes
One of six word lists composed of 15 words will be audio presented and participants will be asked to write them down. The word list will be presented 3 times and the participant will immediately write down words after each time the word list is presented. This test will take 5 minutes
Change from baseline spatial memory
Time Frame: At Baseline, 15, 45, and 75 minutes
Assessed using a spatial pattern recognition test on the Membrain Application. There will be a grid of 9 boxes with circles randomly located inside each box. Participants will be asked to remember where circles are located in each box. This test is done 6 times at each time-point, with each test having different random locations of circles. Each test will take 20 seconds.
Change in verbal declarative memory from the 15 minute time-point
Time Frame: At 45 and 75 minutes
Participants will be asked to recall and write down all the words from the word list presented at the 15 minute time-point. This test will take 2 minutes.
Change from baseline working memory and executive function
Time Frame: At Baseline, 15, 45, and 75 minutes
A random 3 digit number will appear on the screen of the Membrain Application and the participant will have to continually subtract 3 from this number. At each time-point, participants will also complete the same test, except will subtract 7 continuously. This is a 2 minute test.
Change from baseline attention and reaction time
Time Frame: At Baseline, 15, 45, and 75 minutes
Using the Membrain Application, Aa continuous string of single digit numbers appear on the screen, one at a time (each appearing for about one second). After seeing three consecutive ascending odd numbers, participants click the 'odd' button. When they see three consecutive, ascending even numbers, they click the 'even' button. When they see the number "1", they click the 'tertiary' button. This test is 5 minutes in length.
Secondary Outcomes
- Change from baseline subjective average appetite(At Baseline, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 minutes)
- Change from baseline subjective average emotions(At Baseline, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 minutes)
- Change from baseline global vigor(At Baseline, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 minutes)
- Change from baseline blood glucose concentration(At Baseline, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 minutes)
- Food intake(At 90 minutes)
Investigators
Nick Bellissimo
Associate Professor
Toronto Metropolitan University