Mild Cognitive Decline
Conditions
Brief summary
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of blueberry consumption on cognitive decline and body composition in humans. Hypothesis 1: Adults with mild cognitive decline who consume blueberries will experience an improvement in cognitive abilities as measured by a standardized battery of tests, relative to those who consume a placebo. Hypothesis 2: Adults with mild cognitive decline who consume blueberries will evidence an increase in processing speed and an improvement in memory abilities as measured in an electrophysiological paradigm and compared to those who consume a placebo. Hypothesis 3: Daily intake of 35 g freeze-dried blueberries will improve body composition (fat mass vs. lean mass). Hypothesis 4: Daily intake of 35 g freeze-dried blueberries will decrease oxidative stress and inflammatory markers.
Interventions
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTFreeze-dried blueberries
Wild blueberries, freeze-dried and pulverized
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTDextrose Placebo
Placebo developed to closely match blueberry powder.
Sponsors
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
65 Years to 79 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Men and women age 65 and older * BMI between 18.5 and 34.5 * Close individual to report memory decline
Exclusion criteria
* History of central nervous system or psychiatric disorders * Dementia or Alzheimer's diagnosis * Diabetes * Smoking \>20 cigarettes/day * Gastrointestinal/digestive disorders * Uncontrolled chronic disease
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in cognitive test performance | Baseline, 180 days | Measured by CANTAB |
| Change in brain activity (N200, P300) related to cognitive abilities as measured by event-related potentials (ERP) | Baseline, 180 days | Recognition memory, speed of processing, and memory consolidation as measured by the electrophysiological technique known as event-related potentials (ERP) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in body mass distribution | Baseline, 180 days | DXA scans to measure body composition at baseline and outcome will be compared for differences |
| Change in oxidative stress and inflammatory markers as measured in blood and urine | Baseline, 180 days | Oxidative stress and inflammatory markers will be measured in blood and compared between baseline and outcome. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed