The Effect of Almonds on Skin Lipids and Wrinkles
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Completed
- Enrollment
- 31
- Locations
- 2
- Primary Endpoint
- Change in wrinkle depth
Study Overview
Brief Summary
Investigators hypothesize that regular consumption of almonds will augment the long chain fatty acid profile and the alpha-tocopherol levels, improve the skin barrier function, and improve the appearance of facial wrinkles in post-menopausal women.
Detailed Description
Primary Endpoint:
A) Change in wrinkle depth. Full facial photographs will be obtained at baseline, 8 weeks, and 16 weeks. The images will be obtained with the 3D Clarity Pro® Facial Modeling and Analysis System (Brigh-Tex BioPhotonics, San Jose, CA) that has standardized positioning and lighting. This system can assess average wrinkle depth. The PI has already validated this measurement tool against standard clinical grading of facial wrinkles[13].
Secondary Endpoint:
A) Change in clinical appearance of facial wrinkles on lateral canthi: Two blinded dermatologists will grade the photographs obtained at each of the time points on the lateral canthi ("crow's feet"). The dermatologists will not know which group the subjects were in.
B) Change in facial sebum production through the use of a Sebumeter, a commonly used device that measures sebum excretion rate [13,17]. Sebum excretion rate will be measured at baseline, 8 weeks, and 16 weeks.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Basic Science
- Masking
- None
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to — (Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- Female
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- •Postmenopausal women
- •Fitzpatrick skin types 1 and 2
- •Able to follow dietary intervention and attend all study visits
Exclusion Criteria
- •Those with a nut allergy
- •Current smokers
- •Those that have smoked within the past year
- •Former smokers with greater than a 20 pack-year history of smoking within the past 20 years will be excluded.
- •Those with an autoimmune photosensitive condition or a known genetic condition with a deficiency in collagen production (such as Ehler-Danlos)
- •Those that already obtain 20% of their energy intake from nut consumption
- •Those with implausible reported energy intakes of <1,000 kcal/d or >3,000 kcal/d
- •Individuals who are unwilling to discontinue high antioxidant supplements and daily food sources listed below, during the washout and intervention.
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Change in wrinkle depth
Time Frame: 16 weeks
Secondary Outcomes
- Change in clinical appearance of facial wrinkles on lateral canthi(16 weeks)
- Change in facial sebum production through the use of a Sebumeter(16 weeks)
- Change in serum and sebum lipid profiles(16 weeks)
- Change in the serum and sebum lipid profile for assessment of long chain/short chain fatty acid ratios and the NS ceramide content(16-weeks)