Monday, 13 January 2025
Experts at the University of Nottingham are looking for volunteers who want to focus on healthy eating habits in the new year, to help them explore whether a certain kind of diet could help to improve brain and blood vessel health in older adults.
Researchers in the Experimental Medicine, Metabolic and Nutritional Physiology Research Group in the School of Life Sciences are exploring how a combination of dietary nitrate (which is found in beetroot juice), and a calorie-controlled weight loss diet could improve brain and blood vessel functions.
Moira Taylor, who is leading the research, said: “This research will help us understand how dietary changes can impact cognitive and vascular health, which is especially important as we age. By participating, people will be contributing to potential breakthroughs in understanding how to support healthy brain aging and prevent conditions like dementia.”
The team are looking to recruit people aged between 60 and 75 who are overweight or living with obesity (with a BMI of between 25 and 40kg/m2) and are generally healthy and are non-smokers.
Participants will be asked to take part in a 28-day study, during which all their food will be provided, and they will be required to drink beetroot juice daily. Half of the participants will be provided with a diet designed to result in weight loss. All participants will have an individual session with a registered dietitian at the end of the study to explore healthy dietary habits tailored to them.
“We are investigating whether this combination can boost brain function, improve blood flow, and support healthier blood vessels,” adds Mushari Alharbi, co-lead of the study.
Volunteers will be asked to attend three appointments at the University of Nottingham – the first will be to check their suitability for the study. The second two visits with be before and after the 28-day intervention period.
Both the before and after visits will include brain MRI scans (lasting 15 minutes each), and tests for cognitive and vascular health.
All food and drinks will be provided for the duration of the study, and participants will receive an inconvenience allowance as a thank-you for their time.
With the New Year underway, this study offers a fantastic opportunity for those who are committed to healthier habits in 2025. If you’re looking to continue making positive changes, this is an ideal chance to get involved and contribute to exciting research that could shape the future of brain and vascular health.”
For more details, please visit the study pages:
Alternatively, you can contact the team directly at:Mushari.Alharbi@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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