Meal Timing and Blood Pressure

University of Wisconsin, Madison34 enrolled

Overview

Brain blood flow, blood pressure, and neurovascular control mechanisms will be measured in middle-aged adults before and after a brief intervention period. The intervention will consist of changing the time in which the participant consumes food each day.

Healthy adults experience a 10-20% decrease in night-time blood pressure, compared with day-time blood pressure. However, 20-40% of middle-aged adults do not demonstrate a decrease in blood pressure. Abnormal blood pressure patterns are linked to sleep disturbances, hypertension, and associated with elevated cardiovascular risk and mortality. Additionally, abnormal diurnal blood pressure patterns are associated with impaired neurovascular control of the circulation, contributing to an increased risk of hypertension, stroke, and cardiovascular disease. Importantly, midlife is the critical period for implementing interventions to prevent or delay future cardiovascular disease. Recent data demonstrates that time-restricted feeding may normalize blood pressure patterns. The overall goal of this study is to determine if time-restricted feeding normalizes blood pressure patterns and improves neurovascular control. The research aims are: 1. To determine the effect of meal timing on blood pressure patterns in middle-aged adults. 2. To determine the effect of meal timing on neurovascular control in middle-aged adults.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Blood Pressure Neurovascular Control

Interventions

Time-Restricted FeedingBEHAVIORAL

After baseline measurements have been completed, participants will enroll in a time-restricted feeding intervention. Participants will be asked to restrict the time in which they eat each day to 10 hours, fasting for the remaining 14 hours. Participants will also be asked to finish their last meal of the day at least 2 hours prior to bedtime.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 50 YearsMax age: 65 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * BMI ≤ 34 kg/m2 * Non-smoking * Sedentary or recreationally active * ≤ 2 Alcoholic drinks per day * Female subjects: Perimenopausal/Postmenopausal Exclusion Criteria: * History or evidence of hepatic, renal, hematological, peripheral vascular disease, or stroke/neurovascular disease, diabetes, uncontrolled hypertension, sleep apnea * On medications used to treat/manage diseases listed above * Work overnight shifts * Clinically diagnosed anxiety or depression * Pregnant or trying to become pregnant * Significant surgical history * Other significant medical conditions at investigator's discretion

Locations (1)

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Madison, Wisconsin, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Blood Pressure measured continuously over a period of 24 hour

Utilize an ambulatory blood pressure monitor to measure blood pressure values continuously over a 24-hour period.

Time frame: Continuously over a 24-hour period

Neurovascular Control: Change in the brain blood flow

Change in brain blood flow will be measured using a transcranial Doppler ultrasound in response to a breathing test.

Time frame: Baseline and 5 weeks

Neurovascular Control: Change in the blood pressure

Change in blood pressure in response to a breathing test.

Time frame: Baseline and 5 weeks

Neurovascular Control: change in the sympathetic nerve activity

Change in sympathetic nerve activity will be measured using microneurography in response to a breathing test.

Time frame: Baseline and 5 weeks

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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