ENLIGHTEN: Exercise and NutritionaL Interventions for coGnitive and Cardiovascular HealTh ENhancement

NCT ID: NCT01573546

Last Updated: 2018-04-18

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 160 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2011-12-31
• Study Completion Date: 2018-03-31

Brief Summary

ENLIGHTEN will examine the effects of exercise, the dietary approaches to stop hypertension diet (DASH), and a combined exercise and DASH intervention on cognitive function among adults with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and cognitive deficits. Participants will be randomized to one of the three treatments, or a health education control condition, for 6 months, and will complete assessments of CVD health and cognitive function before and after treatment.

Detailed Description

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and disability in the United States, affecting more than 81 million American adults. It is well established that risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia not only place individuals at risk for CVD, but also place them at risk for neurocognitive impairment and dementia. CVD risk factors have been shown to be associated with a cascade of neurophysiologic and neuroanatomic changes, resulting in cognitive impairment and dementia. Exercise and diet have been shown to improve CVD risk factors and also appear particularly promising lifestyle approaches for preventing dementia among individuals at risk, such as those with cognitive impairment, no dementia (CIND). ENLIGHTEN is a randomized clinical trial of diet and exercise among patients with CIND.

Conditions

Cognitive Impairment, no Dementia (CIND)

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Aerobic Exercise

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Aerobic Exercise

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants will exercise for 6 months. In the initial 3-month supervised phase, patients will exercise 3 times a week at a level of 50-75% of their initial peak heart rate reserve (HRR) or at their peak heart rate without symptoms, or ST-segment depression \> 1 mm, as determined at the time of their initial exercise test. Aerobic exercise consists of 10 minutes of warm-up exercises followed by 30 minutes of continuous walking or (stationary) biking. Each exercise session will conclude with a 10 minute period of cool-down exercises. During weeks 13 to 24 (i.e., home maintenance phase), participants will be asked to perform 3 aerobic sessions per week at home at 60-70% HRR.

DASH diet

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

DASH diet

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants in the DASH condition only receive instruction in modifying the content of their diet to meet DASH guidelines. Participants will be explicitly asked not to exercise and to focus their attention on what they eat. Participants will have been told (in the initial consent form) that the study is designed to study effects of two interventions (altering diet content and exercise) both of which have been shown to improve health. Participants will also be told that it may be easier or more effective for them if they focus first on learning to alter diet content, and they are free to exercise at the end of the 6-month period. Following an initial 1-day feeding period, participants, along with their study partners, will receive instruction on the DASH diet and feedback on their adherence to the diet in a series of half-hour, weekly small group sessions (3 to 4 participants).

Combined aerobic exercise and DASH diet

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Aerobic Exercise

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants will exercise for 6 months. In the initial 3-month supervised phase, patients will exercise 3 times a week at a level of 50-75% of their initial peak heart rate reserve (HRR) or at their peak heart rate without symptoms, or ST-segment depression \> 1 mm, as determined at the time of their initial exercise test. Aerobic exercise consists of 10 minutes of warm-up exercises followed by 30 minutes of continuous walking or (stationary) biking. Each exercise session will conclude with a 10 minute period of cool-down exercises. During weeks 13 to 24 (i.e., home maintenance phase), participants will be asked to perform 3 aerobic sessions per week at home at 60-70% HRR.

DASH diet

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants in the DASH condition only receive instruction in modifying the content of their diet to meet DASH guidelines. Participants will be explicitly asked not to exercise and to focus their attention on what they eat. Participants will have been told (in the initial consent form) that the study is designed to study effects of two interventions (altering diet content and exercise) both of which have been shown to improve health. Participants will also be told that it may be easier or more effective for them if they focus first on learning to alter diet content, and they are free to exercise at the end of the 6-month period. Following an initial 1-day feeding period, participants, along with their study partners, will receive instruction on the DASH diet and feedback on their adherence to the diet in a series of half-hour, weekly small group sessions (3 to 4 participants).

Health education control

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Health education control

Intervention Type: OTHER

The Health Education control group will receive weekly 30-min lectures on relevant, health-related topics but will not receive instruction in the DASH diet nor will exercise be promoted. These participants will be asked to maintain their usual dietary and exercise habits for 6 months until they are re-evaluated. These sessions are designed to provide useful information about medical aspects of CVD, but will not provide instruction in the DASH diet or exercise.

Interventions

Aerobic Exercise

Participants will exercise for 6 months. In the initial 3-month supervised phase, patients will exercise 3 times a week at a level of 50-75% of their initial peak heart rate reserve (HRR) or at their peak heart rate without symptoms, or ST-segment depression \> 1 mm, as determined at the time of their initial exercise test. Aerobic exercise consists of 10 minutes of warm-up exercises followed by 30 minutes of continuous walking or (stationary) biking. Each exercise session will conclude with a 10 minute period of cool-down exercises. During weeks 13 to 24 (i.e., home maintenance phase), participants will be asked to perform 3 aerobic sessions per week at home at 60-70% HRR.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

DASH diet

Participants in the DASH condition only receive instruction in modifying the content of their diet to meet DASH guidelines. Participants will be explicitly asked not to exercise and to focus their attention on what they eat. Participants will have been told (in the initial consent form) that the study is designed to study effects of two interventions (altering diet content and exercise) both of which have been shown to improve health. Participants will also be told that it may be easier or more effective for them if they focus first on learning to alter diet content, and they are free to exercise at the end of the 6-month period. Following an initial 1-day feeding period, participants, along with their study partners, will receive instruction on the DASH diet and feedback on their adherence to the diet in a series of half-hour, weekly small group sessions (3 to 4 participants).

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Health education control

The Health Education control group will receive weekly 30-min lectures on relevant, health-related topics but will not receive instruction in the DASH diet nor will exercise be promoted. These participants will be asked to maintain their usual dietary and exercise habits for 6 months until they are re-evaluated. These sessions are designed to provide useful information about medical aspects of CVD, but will not provide instruction in the DASH diet or exercise.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Age 55 years or older
• Sedentary
• Score of 19-25 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Battery or verbal fluency score of =< 12 or animal fluency score of =<15
• At least one cardiovascular risk factor (hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, obesity, current smoking, or family history) or a documented history of cardiac disease (myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass grafting, peripheral vascular disease, >70% stenosis, or mild stroke without residual deficit)

Exclusion Criteria

• Any significant neurological disease other than CIND, such as Parkinson's disease, multi-infarct dementia, Huntington' s disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, brain tumor, normal pressure hydrocephalus, subdural hematoma, seizure disorder, multiple sclerosis, or history of head trauma with persistent neurological deficits
• Psychotic disorder within the past two years (DSM IV criteria) or acutely suicidal
• History of alcohol or substance abuse or dependence within the past two years (DSM IV criteria)
• History of schizophrenia
• Any significant systemic illness or unstable medical condition that could lead to difficulty in complying with the protocol including a history of systemic cancer within the past 5 years (nonmetastatic skin cancers are acceptable)
• Myocardial infarction (within the past 3 months) or unstable or severe congestive heart failure (e.g. class III-IV heart failure)
• End-stage pulmonary disease; uncontrolled diabetes mellitus or uncontrolled hypertension(systolic BP>170 or diastolic BP >100 mm Hg on medication)
• Musculoskeletal disorders precluding the ability to exercise (e.g. severe arthritis)

• Minimum Eligible Age: 55 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Duke University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

James A Blumenthal, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Duke University

Locations

Duke University Medical Center

Durham, North Carolina, United States

Countries

United States

References

Blumenthal JA, Smith PJ, Welsh-Bohmer K, Babyak MA, Browndyke J, Lin PH, Doraiswamy PM, Burke J, Kraus W, Hinderliter A, Sherwood A. Can lifestyle modification improve neurocognition? Rationale and design of the ENLIGHTEN clinical trial. Contemp Clin Trials. 2013 Jan;34(1):60-9. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2012.09.004. Epub 2012 Sep 19.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 23000080 (View on PubMed)

Blumenthal JA, Smith PJ, Mabe S, Hinderliter A, Welsh-Bohmer K, Browndyke JN, Doraiswamy PM, Lin PH, Kraus WE, Burke JR, Sherwood A. Longer Term Effects of Diet and Exercise on Neurocognition: 1-Year Follow-up of the ENLIGHTEN Trial. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2020 Mar;68(3):559-568. doi: 10.1111/jgs.16252. Epub 2019 Nov 22.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 31755550 (View on PubMed)

Blumenthal JA, Smith PJ, Mabe S, Hinderliter A, Lin PH, Liao L, Welsh-Bohmer KA, Browndyke JN, Kraus WE, Doraiswamy PM, Burke JR, Sherwood A. Lifestyle and neurocognition in older adults with cognitive impairments: A randomized trial. Neurology. 2019 Jan 15;92(3):e212-e223. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000006784. Epub 2018 Dec 19.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 30568005 (View on PubMed)

Blumenthal JA, Smith PJ, Mabe S, Hinderliter A, Welsh-Bohmer K, Browndyke JN, Lin PH, Kraus W, Doraiswamy PM, Burke J, Sherwood A. Lifestyle and Neurocognition in Older Adults With Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Cognitive Impairment. Psychosom Med. 2017 Jul/Aug;79(6):719-727. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000474.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 28437380 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Pro00031464

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id