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Cocoa Extract-enriched Meals and Cardiovascular Risk in Older Population

Study of the Effect of Ready-cooked Meals Containing Cocoa Extract, as a Potential Functional Ingredient, on Cardiovascular Risk Markers in Older Population

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT01596309
Enrollment
50
Registered
2012-05-10
Start date
2012-01-31
Completion date
2012-12-31
Last updated
2013-06-18

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Keywords

cardiovascular risk, Elderly population, cocoa extract, overweight and obesity, Glycemic profile, lipid profile, antioxidant status, inflammatory state, Cardiovascular Risk factors in elder population

Brief summary

Obesity prevalence in elderly populations has increased in the last years, and the reduction of overweight and obesity is a priority target in populations of all age ranges worldwide. Obesity is a disease frequently accompanied by a pro-inflammatory state, in which metabolic functions may be compromised, and therefore there is a risk of developing comorbidities such as type-2 diabetes, hyperlipidemias, hypertension, atherosclerosis, etc. In this context, plant extracts are a good source of antioxidant compounds. Among these compounds, polyphenols have been shown to have an important antioxidant effect. Scientific evidence based on epidemiological studies suggest that flavonoids from the diet play an important role on the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Cocoa and related products are an important source of flavonoids, providing even more than tea or wine. Generally, benefits associated to cocoa consumption are related to the ability for improving lipid profile and insulin sensitivity, reducing blood pressure, platelet activity and improving endothelial dysfunction. Some studies have also shown an improvement of inflammatory conditions, mainly due to the capacity of the polyphenols contained to modify cellular transcription, and the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, macrophages and lymphocytic strains. Therefore, the hypothesis of this study is that the consumption of cocoa extract-enriched prepared meals, within a hypocaloric diet, will help to reduce body weight and to improve cardiovascular risk factors compared to the same diet with standard prepared meals.

Interventions

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTCocoa extract

Participants will follow a hypocaloric diet during two periods of 4 weeks, each. Within these diets, participants will consume daily 2 ready prepared frozen meals containing cocoa extract (0.7 g per meal; 1.4g per day) or nothing (placebo).

Sponsors

University of Navarra
CollaboratorOTHER
Clinica Universidad de Navarra, Universidad de Navarra
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
50 Years to 80 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Body Mass Index between 27 and 35.5 kg/m2 * Subjects with central adiposity (waist circumference over 94 cm in males and 80 cm in females) * Subjects presenting insulin resistance non pharmacologically treated * Subjects presenting hyperlipidemia non pharmacologically treated

Exclusion criteria

* Subjects following dietotherapy to loose weight at the moment of the study or in the past three months. * Subjects with variations of weight greater than 5% of their body weight in the last three months). * Subjects with deficient nutritional or hydration status. * Subjects suffering from chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, etc. * Subjects with functional or structural impairments in digestive tract (peptic ulcer, malabsorption syndrome, inflammatory state, etc.) * Subjects having gone under digestive surgery and have permanent consequences. * Subjects suffering from allergy to cocoa or derived products. * Subjects being physically or psychologically affected, with difficulties to attend the facilities with the required frequency. * Smokers and frequent (more than 3 portions of beer/wine/spirits per day in males and 2 portions of beer/wine/spirits per day in females)

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change from baseline of Plasma Oxidized LDLBaseline and 4 weeksLevels of LDL-ox in plasma will be analysed at the beginning and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change from baseline of fat mass contentBaseline and 4 weeksFat mass will be measured by bioelectric impedance and Dual X-ray absorptiometry at baseline and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period
Change from baseline of waist circumferenceBaseline and 4 weeksWaist circumference will be measured with a measure tape at baseline and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period
Change from baseline of hip circumferenceBaseline and 4 weeksHip circumference will be measured with a measure tape at baseline and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period
HeightBaseline
Change from baseline of body weightBaseline and 2 weeks
Change from baseline of skinfoldsBaseline and 4 weeksTricipital, Bicipital, subscapular and suprailiac skinfolds will be measured at baseline and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period
Change from baseline of serum glucose levelsBaseline and 4 weeksSerum glucose concentration will be measured in a fasting state at the beginning and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period
Change from baseline of serum insulin concentrationBaseline and 4 weeksSerum insulin concentration will be measured in a fasting state at the beginning and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period
Change from baseline of serum free fatty acids concentrationBaseline and 4 weeksSerum free fatty acids concentration will be measured in a fasting state at the beginning and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period
Change from baseline of serum total cholesterol concentrationBaseline and 4 weeksSerum total cholesterol concentration will be measured in a fasting state at the beginning and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period
Change from baseline of serum HDL-cholesterol concentrationBaseline and 4 weeksSerum HDL-cholesterol concentration will be measured in a fasting state at the beginning and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period
Change from baseline of serum LDL-cholesterol concentrationBaseline and 4 weeksSerum LDL-cholesterol concentration will be measured in a fasting state at the beginning and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period
Change from baseline of serum total protein concentrationBaseline and 4 weeksSerum total protein concentration will be measured in a fasting state at the beginning and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period
Change from baseline of serum transaminases concentrationBaseline and 4 weeksSerum transaminases (AST & ALT) concentration will be measured in a fasting state at the beginning and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period
Change from baseline of serum homocystein concentrationBaseline and 4 weeksSerum homocystein concentration will be measured in a fasting state at the beginning and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period
Change from baseline of Diastolic blood pressureBaseline and 4 weeksDiastolic blood pressure will be measured at baseline and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period
Change from baseline of serum triglycerides concentrationBaseline and 4 weeksSerum triglycerides concentration will be measured in a fasting state at the beginning and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period
Change from baseline of Food intakeBaseline and 4 weeksFood intake will be measured by a 72 h weighed food record at baseline and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period
Change from baseline of plasma PAI-1 concentrationBaseline and 4 weeksPlasma PAI-1 concentration will be measured in a fasting state at the beginning and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period
Change from baseline of plasma malonyldialdehyde (MDA) concentrationBaseline and 4 weeksPlasma MDA concentration will be measured in a fasting state at the beginning and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period
Change from baseline of plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC)Baseline and 4 weeksPlasma TAC will be measured in a fasting state at the beginning and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period
Change from baseline of serum uric acid levelsBaseline and 4 weeksSerum uric acid levels will be measured in a fasting state at the beginning and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period
Change from baseline of Glutathione peroxidase activityBaseline and 4 weeksGlutathione peroxidase activity will be measured in a fasting state at the beginning and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period
Change from baseline of plasma C-Reactive Protein levelsBaseline and 4 weeksC-Reactive Protein levels will be measured in a fasting state at the beginning and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period
Change from baseline of plasma IL-6 levelsBaseline and 4 weeksIL-6 levels will be measured in a fasting state at the beginning and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period
Change from baseline of plasma TNF-alpha levelsBaseline and 4 weeksTNF-alpha levels will be measured in a fasting state at the beginning and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period
Personality TestBaselinePersonality will be evaluated through the NEO-PI-R test.
Change from baseline of depression degreeBaseline and 4 weeksDepression degree will be evaluated through the Beck depression inventory, the anxiety/STAI inventory and subjective anxiety and depression thermometer scale, at the beginning and the end of each intervention period
Change from baseline of health statusBaseline and 4 weeksHealth status will be evaluated through the SF-36v2 Health survey at the beginning and the end of each intervention period
Change from baseline of plasma VCAM-1 levelsBaseline and 4 weeksVCAM-1 levels will be measured in a fasting state at the beginning and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period
Change from baseline of plasma ICAM-1 levelsBaseline and 4 weeksICAM-1 levels will be measured in a fasting state at the beginning and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period
Cocoa BioavailabilityBaseline and 4 weeksMetabolites from cocoa polyphenols will be analysed in plasma and urine at the beginning and the end of each intervention period in order to estimate the bioavailability of cocoa extract studied.
DNA damageBaseline and 4 weeksDNA ability to self-repair and DNA damage extent will be quantified through commet assay at the beginning and the end of each intervention period.
Change from baseline of Systolic blood pressureBaseline and 4 weeksSystolic blood pressure will be measured at baseline and the end (4 weeks) of each intervention period

Countries

Spain

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 19, 2026