Does What You Eat Affect Your Brain

University of Washington36 enrolled

Overview

The purpose of this study is to use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate the human hypothalamus for signs of inflammation in response to specific diets. This research may lead to a better understanding of how poor nutritional quality may lead to obesity through effects on regions of the brain known to regulate body weight.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

TRIPLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Gliosis Obesity Eating

Interventions

Diet modification #1OTHER

Participants will be provided all meals for a 14-day period. For 7 of the days, meals will be 130% of estimated daily caloric needs and for the other 7 days, meals will be low in calories, consistent with recommendations for weight loss.

Diet modification #2OTHER

Participants will be provided all meals for a 14-day period. For 7 of the days, meals will be 150% of estimated daily caloric needs and for the other 7 days, meals will be meals will be low in calories, consistent with recommendations for weight loss.

Diet modification #3OTHER

Participants will be provided all meals for a 14-day period to be approximately 100% of estimated daily caloric needs.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 20 YearsMax age: 40 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 20-40 years * Overweight: BMI 25-29.9 kg/m2 * Willing to undergo randomly assigned 14-day diet modification Exclusion Criteria: * History of bariatric surgery or active participation in weight-loss program * Major medical or neurological disorder (e.g., diabetes, multiple sclerosis) * Anemia or impaired kidney or liver function * Known gallbladder disease or gallstones * Hypertriglyceridemia (\>350 mg/dl) * Current use of orlistat or other weight-loss medications or other medications known to alter appetite (e.g., atypical anti-psychotics) * More than moderate level of physical activity (\>1000 met-min/wk) * Pregnancy, menopause, or breastfeeding * MRI contraindication (e.g., implanted metal, claustrophobia) * Lifetime eating disorder * Current smoking or heavy alcohol use (≥ 2 drinks per day for females and ≥ 3 drinks per day for males) * Weight \> 350 pounds (MRI limit) * Dietary restrictions (e.g., vegan) incompatible with controlled diets

Locations (1)

University of Washington

Seattle, Washington, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Hypothalamic Gliosis

T2 relaxation time as measured by brain MRI

Time frame: 7 days of diet intervention

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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