Diet Fat Composition and Brain Function in Young Women

DIET FAT COMPOSITION AND BRAIN FUNCTION IN YOUNG WOMEN

We are seeking ways to understand how different dietary fats may influence brain function and affect immunity. Our study focuses on the two most prevalent fats (fatty acids) in the diet and in body tissues: palmitic acid, a saturated fat, and oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat.

Please examine the information below about the study and if you are still interested, please complete the attached subject intake form and email it back to me at [email protected] Please don’t worry about calculating kg, cm and BMI as that is done via my computer. The next step is a personal interview with me, during which the study will be thoroughly explained (and written consent obtained prior to screening).

RESEARCH PROCEDURES WILL INCLUDE:

 Eligibility screening: a history/physical and fasting blood work, an oral glucose tolerance test, and an exercise test.

 For 56 days (8 weeks), eating only food and drink (except water) provided by the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC). During this period, you will have to eat breakfast every day of the week, except Saturday and Sunday, at the GCRC. Other meals can be picked up in the morning and eaten elsewhere. The diet will be free of foods often considered problem foods to people trying to maintain or lose weight. Food intake will be adjusted as necessary to prevent weight loss or gain.

 Your body fat will be measured three times (DEXA) and you will have a training session and two functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans.

 Three mornings during the study period you will come in to the GCRC by 7:00 a.m. and blood samples will be collected. During two of these visits, non-invasive metabolic testing will also be performed.

 Since there will be tests during portions of nine mornings during the two month period, you may miss some work or school. For this inconvenience and for the other times you must appear during the study, you will be reimbursed $1,000 for completing all tests for the study but will be eligible for partial reimbursement for completing portions of the study.

ELIGIBILITY FOR THE STUDY:

 You must be healthy, without chronic disease. Generally, this means you are not taking prescription medication (exception: thyroid replacement therapy).

 You must not be a vegetarian. Additionally, you must be able to consume some “fat-free” dairy products during the study.

 Age must be > 18 and < 41 years old.  Volunteers with both lean and overweight body types will be studied.

 Women who are not taking hormonal contraceptives must avoid pregnancy during the study.

 Subjects will be excluded from eligibility who engage in daily, very vigorous aerobic physical activity, as in people training continually for athletic events such as triathlons or marathons. If you are not currently involved in serious athletic training, you may be eligible.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Craig Lawrence Kien, M.D., Ph.D.

The Mary Kay Davignon Green and Gold Professor, Depts. of Pediatrics and Medicine University of Vermont College of Medicine Colchester Research Facility, Room 175A 208 South Park Drive Colchester, VT 05446 Phone: (802) 656-9093 Email: [email protected]