Impact of Lean Pork on Endothelial Function in Perimenopause

Launched by PENNINGTON BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CENTER · May 8, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how a diet high in lean pork compares to a plant-based diet in improving heart health and menopause symptoms in women aged 40 to 55 who are overweight or obese. The researchers want to see if eating more pork can help with things like blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and menopause-related symptoms like hot flashes. Participants will follow both diets for four weeks each, with some time in between, and will visit the clinic five times for various health tests, including blood pressure checks and blood tests.

To participate, women need to be between 40 and 55 years old, have a certain body weight range, and experience irregular menstrual cycles and menopause symptoms. They should also not be engaged in intense exercise or using certain medications. If you join the study, you will need to stick to the diets and will be asked to provide blood samples for future research. This trial is currently looking for volunteers who are willing to help understand how diet can impact health during perimenopause.

Gender

FEMALE

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Are female
• • Are between 40 and 55 years of age
• • Have a BMI (a number calculated from participant height and weight) between 28 and45 kg/m2
• • Are experiencing irregular menstrual cycles but have not gone longer than 12 consecutive months without a period
• • Are experiencing severe vasomotor (menopause) symptoms
• • Are doing less than 3 hours per week of structured exercise
• • Have systolic blood pressure between 120 and 140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure between 80 and 90 mmHg
• • Have "sugary" hemoglobin called hemoglobin A1c less than or equal to 6.5%
• • Are willing and able to refrain from using oral mouth wash for the duration of the study because the alcohol in mouth wash inhibits nitrate synthesis
• • Are willing and able to comply with both the study diets
• • Are willing to collect blood for future research
• • Can read, speak, and understand English
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Hysterectomy (partial or full) or oophorectomy
• • Using hormone replacement therapy use and/or hormonal contraception use 6 months prior to study start
• • Has systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mmHg)
• • Triglycerides ≥350 mg/dL, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) ≥190 mg/dL, and/or taking a lipid-lowering medication -Diagnosed cardiovascular disease, diabetes (type 1 or 2), or endocrine- related disease (e.g. thyroid, PCOS), unstable gastrointestinal disease, kidney, liver, and/or pancreatic disease
• • Diagnosed cancer (except skin cancer) in the last 5 years
• • Taking \>1 blood pressure medication and/or taking 1 blood pressure medication for \<3 months
• • Taking phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors, anti-coagulants, corticosteroids, metformin, or insulin.
• • Weight change ≥6.6 pounds in the past 3 months, actively trying to lose weight, or unwilling to remain weight stable throughout the study
• • Current smoking or vaping, Binge and/or heavy drinker
• • Food allergies or other reasons preventing consumption of study foods with both study diets