Brain Aging
Conditions
Keywords
Older Adults, Brain Health, Avocado, Brain Imaging, Cognition, Dietary Intervention
Brief summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to determine if adding avocados to the diet of impacts cognition in 70 older adults, age 65-85, without dementia. We will test for change in functional MRI, cognitive performance, and brain blood flow. Intervention group participants will be asked to consume 1 avocado per day for 12 weeks. Participants in the control group will be asked to continue their normal intake for 12 weeks. Throughout the study, participants will be asked to perform cognitive tests, MRI, blood tests, and questionnaires.
Interventions
OTHERAvocado Group
Participants will consume provided avocados daily and track consumption for the duration of the study. Participants will be adding avocados to their diet and will receive education on maintaining usual diet.
Sponsors
Avocado Nutrition Center
University of Kansas Medical Center
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
DOUBLE (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Masking description
Participants cannot be blinded to their allocation in order to follow the study protocol. Investigator and Outcomes Assessor will be blinded.
Intervention model description
Study participants will be randomly assigned equally to either the intervention or the control group.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
65 Years to 85 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Males and females aged 65-85 years * Good general health with no concomitant disease * BMI 18.5 - 35 kg/m2 * Mini Mental State Exam ≥26 * Reports consuming ≤2 medium avocados per month * Reports consuming ≤3 servings of carotenoid-rich foods per week and ≤3 servings of fruits and vegetables per day * Skin carotenoid content \<400
Exclusion criteria
* Unwilling or unable to consume avocado * Latex allergy * Consistently taking lutein + zeaxanthin supplements * Skin carotenoid content ≥400 * Central neurological disease such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke, brain tumor, etc. * Serious medical risk: cancer requiring chemotherapy or radiation within the past 5 years, recent cardiac event (i.e. heart attack, etc.) * Diabetes mellitus or uncontrolled hypertension * Use of psychoactive or investigational medications * Consumption of ≥3 alcoholic drinks per day or substance abuse * Unable to undergo MRI
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in brain activity | Baseline and 12 weeks | MRI will be used to measure changes in brain activity during resting state, a working memory task, and executive function task. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Changes in cerebral blood flow | Baseline and 12 weeks | MRI will be used to measure change in cerebral blood flow. |
| Changes in memory and executive function | Baseline and 12 weeks | NIH Toolbox will be used to measure change in cognition throughout the study. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
Primary ContactEmma Kelly, MS
Backup ContactMatthew Taylor, PhD
Outcome results
None listed