Interaction Between Dairy and Gut Hormone Response on Cognitive Performance in Children.

Toronto Metropolitan University48 enrolled

Overview

The purpose of this study is to investigate the short-term effects of milk and yogurt of varying fat and protein content on cognitive performance in healthy children aged 9 - 14 years; and to provide insight into mechanisms by which dairy consumption may affect cognitive performance through gastrointestinal (GI) hormone responses. The investigators hypothesize that the consumption of dairy products, specifically their protein and fat components, will improve cognitive performance via its interaction with the gut-brain axis in children. Furthermore, the investigators hypothesize that all milk and yogurt products will enhance cognitive performance over 120- mins compared to snack skipping through its interaction with GI hormones, with a greater effect in higher fat containing milk and yogurt products.

A randomized within-subject repeated measures experiment will be used to study the effect of milk and yogurt of varying fat content on cognitive performance and its interaction with GI hormones in children (9-14 years). Participants will consume milk \[Experiment A\] and yogurt \[Experiment B\] test treatments, followed by measures of cognitive performance, blood glucose and GI hormone biomarkers over 120-min. In Experiment A and B, participants will consume, in a random order on separate mornings, one of four test treatments: (1) Full-fat, (2) Low-Fat, (3) No-fat, and (4) Snack-skipping test treatments. Cognitive domains (learning and memory, spatial working memory, attention, processing speed, and executive function), gastrointestinal hormone response, and subjective emotions will be assessed at baseline (0-min), and 30-, 60-, and 120-min following treatment consumption.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Interventions

Fat-Free MilkOTHER

Fat-free milk (500 mL, skim, 0%, Lactantia PurFiltre) will provide 180 kcal, 0.4 g fat, 26 g carbohydrate, and 18 g protein. Treatments matched for calories (180 kcal).

Low-Fat MilkOTHER

Low-free milk (346 mL, 2%, Lactantia PurFiltre) will provide 180 kcal, 6.9 g fat, 16.6 g carbohydrate, and 12.5 g protein. Treatments matched for calories (180 kcal).

Full-fat MilkOTHER

Full-free milk (281 mL, 3.25%, Lactantia PurFiltre) will provide 180 kcal, 9.0 g fat, 13.5 g carbohydrate, and 10.1 g protein. Treatments matched for calories (180 kcal).

Snack SkippingOTHER

Snack skipping (no caloric contribution).

Fat-Free YogurtOTHER

Fat-free Yogurt (242.3 g, Oikos High Protein Vanilla; 0% MF) will provide 180 kcal, 0 g fat, 20.8 g carbohydrate, and 23.5 g protein. Treatments matched for calories (180 kcal).

Low-Fat YogurtOTHER

Low-fat Yogurt (210.0 g, Oikos Original 2% MF) will provide 180 kcal, 3.6 g fat, 21.6 g carbohydrate, and 15.6 g protein. Treatments matched for calories (180 kcal).

Full-Fat YogurtOTHER

Full-fat Yogurt (185.3 g, Oikos Extra Creamy Vanilla 9% MF) will provide 180 kcal, 15.9 g fat, 21.2 g carbohydrate, and 6.4 g protein. Treatments matched for calories (180 kcal).

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 9 YearsMax age: 14 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * 9 to 14 years of age; * Normal weight is defined as being between the 5th and 85th percentile for age and biological sex at birth according to the Centers for Disease Control growth reference charts Exclusion Criteria: * Children with overweight/ obesity; * Children with food sensitivities or allergies to dairy, gluten or any foods used in the study; * Children with any diagnosed learning, emotional, or behavioural disabilities; * Children taking any medications that may influence cognitive performance.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Learning and short-term memory

Cognitive performance tests will be administered via a Dell tablet (Millisecond, Inquisit Web) and paper/pen. Learning and short-term memory will be assessed using an immediate and delayed Word Recall Test (accuracy).

Time frame: Immediate measured at 30-minutes post-treatment and delayed at 60- and 120-minutes post-treatment consumption

Spatial working memory

Cognitive performance tests will be administered via a Dell tablet (Millisecond, Inquisit Web) and paper/pen. Spatial working memory will be assessed using the forward and backward versions of the Corsi Block Test (accuracy).