Effects of Protein Supplementation on Brain Function

Launched by MAASTRICHT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · Jun 30, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is looking at how taking protein supplements every day for two weeks might help improve brain health in older adults who are overweight or obese. Specifically, the study wants to see if proteins from plants or animals can make the brain’s blood vessels work better and help the brain respond more effectively to insulin, a hormone important for both brain function and controlling appetite. The researchers will also check if these changes can improve thinking skills and how the brain controls hunger and feeling full.

To join the study, participants need to be men or women aged 60 to 75 years with a body weight classified as overweight or obese, and they should have generally stable health measures like blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure within certain limits. During the study, participants will receive either plant-based or animal-based protein supplements daily and will undergo brain scans using MRI to measure blood flow and insulin response in the brain. The study is currently recruiting volunteers who meet these criteria and do not have certain health conditions or allergies, and who are willing to follow study requirements, such as avoiding blood donation during the study period. This research may help us understand how protein in the diet can support brain function and appetite control as we age.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Men and women, aged between 60-75 years (older adults)
• • BMI between 25-35 kg/m2 (overweight or obese)
• • Fasting plasma glucose \< 7.0 mmol/L
• • Fasting serum total cholesterol \< 8.0 mmol/L
• • Fasting serum triacylglycerol \< 4.5 mmol/L
• • Systolic blood pressure \< 160 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure \< 100 mmHg
• • Stable body weight (weight gain or loss \< 3 kg in the past three months)
• • Willingness to give up being a blood donor from 8 weeks before the start of the study, during the study and for 4 weeks after completion of the study
• • No difficult venipuncture as evidenced during the screening visit
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Intolerant to milk products or fava bean allergy
• • Vegetarians
• • Left-handedness
• • Current smoker, or smoking cessation \< 12 months
• • Diabetic patients
• • Familial hypercholesterolemia
• • Abuse of drugs
• • More than 3 alcoholic consumptions per day
• • Use of products or dietary supplements known to interfere with the main outcomes as judged by the principal investigators
• • Use medication to treat blood pressure, lipid, or glucose metabolism
• • Use of an investigational product within another biomedical intervention trial within the previous 1-month
• • Severe medical conditions that might interfere with the study, such as epilepsy, asthma, kidney failure or renal insufficiency, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, inflammatory bowel diseases, auto inflammatory diseases, and rheumatoid arthritis
• • Active cardiovascular disease like congestive heart failure or cardiovascular event, such as an acute myocardial infarction or cerebrovascular accident
• • Contra-indications for MRI imaging (e.g., pacemaker, surgical clips/material in body, metal splinter in eye, claustrophobia)