The Effect of Pistachio-Rich Breakfast Meals on Cognitive Function in Healthy Older Adults

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF READING · Mar 21, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is looking at how eating breakfast meals rich in pistachio nuts might affect thinking and memory in healthy older adults aged 65 to 80. Researchers want to see if different amounts of pistachios can help improve brain function throughout the day. The study is not yet recruiting participants, but it's designed for both men and women who eat less than four servings of fruits and vegetables daily and have a normal body weight and good cognitive ability.

To participate, individuals need to be between 65 and 80 years old and should not have certain health conditions or dietary restrictions that could affect the study's results. Participants will take part in tasks to test their thinking skills after consuming the pistachio-rich breakfast. This study provides a unique opportunity to explore how a simple change in diet might benefit cognitive health in older adults.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • 65 - 80 years old
• • Fruit \& veg intake less than or equal to 4 servings per day
• • Not regularly consuming more than 3 servings of fish per week
• • Adequate English language and visual \& auditory acuity to perform the cognitive tasks
• • Normal BMI for age
• • Normal MMSE performance between 26-30
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Being diagnosed with psychological or psychiatric disorders
• • ADHD or dyslexia
• • Any food allergy or intolerance
• • Use of medications and dietary supplements that may impact study results
• • Antibiotic use within the last 3 months
• • Adherence to vegan or vegetarian diets, or other specific diets that may impact study outcomes
• • Being diagnosed with cardiometabolic disease (including type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease), or suffer from untreated hypertension or thrombosis related disorders
• • Taking blood thinners