Diet, nutrigenetics and cognitive decline
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Diet, Nutrigenetics and Cognitive Decline. Exploring risk and protective factor.
IRAS ID
171280
Contact name
Annalena Venneri
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
This study aims to test whether avoidance of intolerant foods in participants has an effect on cognition by monitoring any age-related cognitive decline in the elderly population. Our hypothesis states that persistent consumption of products that a participant is intolerant to will lead to increased age-related cognitive decline. We suspect that this is as a result of metabolites produced in the gut during the digestion of these products. These metabolites travel to the brain and their accumulation causes increased decline in cognition. This fast decline in cognition could develop onto mild cognitive impairment and eventual development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We want to test for clinical intolerance by genetic profiling of individuals with reference to common intolerances such as, but not restricted to, lactose, gluten in order to determine whether low cognitive performance rates are prevalent in those that actively avoid these products to which they are intolerant, especially dairy products. The focus will be on investigating whether rates of mild cognitive impairment are lower in those that actively avoid foods they are intolerant to.
If this were the case then intolerances could be an evolutionarily protective development for the avoidance of dementia and other diseases leading to neurodegeneration through similar pathways.REC name
Wales REC 7
REC reference
15/WA/0386
Date of REC Opinion
22 Oct 2015
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion