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NCT06690892 | RECRUITING | Dietary Intervention

Investigating the Effects of Beef Consumption on Cognitive and Brain Health
Sponsor:

University of Nebraska Lincoln

Brief Summary:

The goal of this study is to evaluate the effects of beef consumption on cognitive and brain health in healthy young adults. Specifically, we seek to evaluate the effects of beef consumption on measures of executive function, memory, psychological well-being, and sleep quality. Additionally, we will explore the effects of increased beef consumption on measures of brain health derived from structural and functional brain imaging. All participants will take part in a 12-week dietary intervention study. Throughout the intervention, participants will receive 5 portions of ready-to-eat beef in frozen packages each week. Each serving of ready-to-eat beef for the experimental group will weigh 5-ounces, while each serving of ready-to-eat beef for the comparison group will weigh 1-ounce. Study compliance will be evaluated through weekly surveys about beef consumption. In addition to completing the dietary intervention, participants will complete pre- and post-intervention assessments: * MRI scan, including structural and functional brain imaging * a comprehensive questionnaire battery evaluating cognitive and psychological measures * neuropsychological tasks * a blood draw

Condition or disease

Dietary Intervention

Dietary Proteins

Dietary Assessment

Cognitive Ability, General

Intervention/treatment

Ready-to-eat beef in frozen, 5-oz packages

Ready-to-eat beef in frozen, 1-oz packages

Phase

NA

Study Type : INTERVENTIONAL
Estimated Enrollment : 240 participants
Masking : TRIPLE
Primary Purpose : BASIC_SCIENCE
Official Title : Understanding the Cognitive and Brain Health Effects of Increasing Beef Consumption in Young Adults
Actual Study Start Date : 2025-01-20
Estimated Primary Completion Date : 2025-08-01
Estimated Study Completion Date : 2026-06-01

Information not available for Arms and Intervention/treatment

Ages Eligible for Study: 19 Years to 24 Years
Sexes Eligible for Study: ALL
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: 1
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
  • * Provision of signed and dated informed consent form
  • * Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and lifestyle considerations and availability for the duration of the study
  • * Males and females; Age 19-24
  • * Willingness to adhere to the ready-to-eat beef intervention regimen
  • * Enrolled at University of Nebraska-Lincoln during the 2024 school year
  • * Score between 49 and 64 out of 100 on the Healthy Eating Index
  • * Consume less than or equal to 1 ounce of beef per day on average prior to participating in the study
  • * BMI between 18.5 and 39.9
  • * Not pregnant or nursing
  • * No history of cognitive or metabolic diseases indicated by diagnosis, including neurodegenerative disease, stroke, Type 1 and 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, kidney disease, and cancer
  • * No history of eating or anxiety disorders
  • * Low beef consumers, and be willing to adhere to the assigned ready-to-eat beef intervention regimen during the study
  • * Willing to discontinue dietary supplement use throughout the duration of the study, if they are consuming supplement at the time of the registration
  • * No known contraindication to MRI scans as determined by the MRI screening survey questions
Exclusion Criteria
  • * Current use of medications that may affect their responses to dietary intervention, such as amphetamines, antidepressants, anti-diabetic medications, laxatives, antibiotics, statins and diuretics.
  • * Known intolerance or allergy to beef
  • * Current use of nicotine products, including vaping
  • * Previous use of nicotine products, including vaping, within the recent 6 months at the time of pre-screening
Investigating the Effects of Beef Consumption on Cognitive and Brain Health

Location Details

NCT06690892

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How to Participate

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Locations

RECRUITING

United States, Nebraska

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Lincoln, Nebraska, United States, 68588