Wild Blueberries for Gut, Brain, and Heart Health in Adults With High Blood Pressure

NCT ID: NCT06735599

Last Updated: 2025-03-19

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

80 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-09-17

Study Completion Date

2026-01-01

Brief Summary

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The purpose of the study is to determine the effectiveness of wild blueberries on cardiovascular health, cognitive function, and gut microbiota composition in non-Hispanic Black and White adults with elevated blood pressure.

Detailed Description

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Hypertension (HTN), or high blood pressure (BP) is a major modifiable risk factor for heart disease, the leading cause of death worldwide. In the U.S., 121.5 million adults have high BP and only 25% have their BP under control. The 2022 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics indicated that the incidence of high BP was higher among non-Hispanic Black (NHB) compared to non-Hispanic White (NHW) adults. Berries are rich in fiber and phytochemicals and have several health benefits. A 14-year follow-up of the Nurses' Health Study I and II and the Health Professional Follow-Up Study revealed a significant reduction in the risk of HTN (8%) among individuals in the highest quintile of anthocyanin intake compared to the lowest quintile. Blueberries are rich in fiber and phytochemicals that may be responsible for their health benefits. Studies have shown that daily blueberry consumption improves heart, cognitive, and intestinal health in different populations. Yet, a comprehensive study exploring and comparing the effectiveness of wild blueberries for cardiovascular, intestinal, and cognitive function parameters and their association in NHB and NHW adults with high BP has not been conducted to date.

Thus, the overall objective of this timely study is to determine and compare the effectiveness of a freeze-dried wild blueberry intervention on cardiovascular and gut health in NHB and NHW adults with high BP and assess whether these health benefits are associated with improvements in memory and other important thinking abilities for productivity and quality of life.

Therefore, this 8-week randomized, placebo-controlled parallel-arm clinical trial aims to assess whether daily consumption of 22 g of freeze-dried wild blueberry powder improves gut, cardiovascular, and cognitive function in NHB and NHW adults with elevated blood pressure and stage 1 hypertension. Investigators hypothesize that daily consumption of wild blueberries will improve cardiovascular parameters, gut dysbiosis, and cognitive function. To test these hypotheses, the following specific aims are proposed. To investigate whether daily consumption of 22 g of freeze-dried wild blueberry powder:

* Reduces BP, improves endothelial function, arterial stiffness, and microcirculation.
* Favorably modulates gut microbiota composition.
* Improves cognitive function (verbal memory and executive functions \[inhibition, working memory, cognitive flexibility\]).
* Improves serum markers of oxidative stress and inflammation.

Additionally, investigators will also explore whether changes in the gut microbiota are associated with changes in cardiometabolic and cognitive function outcomes and whether changes in cardiometabolic outcomes are associated with changes in cognitive function parameters globally and within each race.

Conditions

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Hypertension (Without Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus) High Blood Pressure Male Female Adult Cognition Endothelial Function (Reactive Hyperemia) Oxidative Stress Diet Overweight Body Composition Measurement Gut Microbiome Arterial Stiffness Caucasian Whites Inflammation Microvascular Function

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

TRIPLE

Participants Investigators Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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Wild Blueberry

22 g of freeze-dried wild blueberry freeze-dried powder per day

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Wild Blueberry

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Daily consumption of 22 g of freeze-dried wild blueberry freeze-dried powder for 8 weeks

Placebo

22 g of freeze-dried macronutrient-matched placebo powder per day

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Placebo

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Daily consumption of 22 g of freeze-dried macronutrient-matched placebo powder for 8 weeks

Interventions

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Wild Blueberry

Daily consumption of 22 g of freeze-dried wild blueberry freeze-dried powder for 8 weeks

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Placebo

Daily consumption of 22 g of freeze-dried macronutrient-matched placebo powder for 8 weeks

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Individuals 45-65 years of age
* Diagnosis of elevated blood pressure or stage 1 hypertension (systolic blood pressure = 120-139 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure = 80-89 mmHg) for at least 6 months
* BMI 25-30 kg/m2 via anthropometric measurements.
* Ability to give consent

Exclusion Criteria

* Allergies to berries
* Use of one hypertensive drug for less than three months
* Use of more than one anti-hypertensive drug, insulin, antibiotics, and anti-inflammatory drugs, active cancer, gastrointestinal, renal, cardiovascular, thyroid, and neurological disorders or severe head injury
* Smoking
* Alcohol consumption (\>2 drinks/day)
* Consuming antioxidant, probiotic, and prebiotic supplements
* Pregnant or lactating
* Participating in a weight loss program
Minimum Eligible Age

45 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

65 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Georgia State University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Rafaela G. Feresin

Associate Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Rafaela G Feresin, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Georgia State University

Locations

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Georgia State University

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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United States

Central Contacts

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Rafaela G Feresin, PhD

Role: CONTACT

404-413-1233

Facility Contacts

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Rafaela Feresin, PhD

Role: primary

404-413-1233

References

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Krikorian R, Skelton MR, Summer SS, Shidler MD, Sullivan PG. Blueberry Supplementation in Midlife for Dementia Risk Reduction. Nutrients. 2022 Apr 13;14(8):1619. doi: 10.3390/nu14081619.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 35458181 (View on PubMed)

Johnson SA, Figueroa A, Navaei N, Wong A, Kalfon R, Ormsbee LT, Feresin RG, Elam ML, Hooshmand S, Payton ME, Arjmandi BH. Daily blueberry consumption improves blood pressure and arterial stiffness in postmenopausal women with pre- and stage 1-hypertension: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2015 Mar;115(3):369-377. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2014.11.001. Epub 2015 Jan 8.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25578927 (View on PubMed)

Cassidy A, O'Reilly EJ, Kay C, Sampson L, Franz M, Forman JP, Curhan G, Rimm EB. Habitual intake of flavonoid subclasses and incident hypertension in adults. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Feb;93(2):338-47. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.110.006783. Epub 2010 Nov 24.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21106916 (View on PubMed)

Tsao CW, Aday AW, Almarzooq ZI, Alonso A, Beaton AZ, Bittencourt MS, Boehme AK, Buxton AE, Carson AP, Commodore-Mensah Y, Elkind MSV, Evenson KR, Eze-Nliam C, Ferguson JF, Generoso G, Ho JE, Kalani R, Khan SS, Kissela BM, Knutson KL, Levine DA, Lewis TT, Liu J, Loop MS, Ma J, Mussolino ME, Navaneethan SD, Perak AM, Poudel R, Rezk-Hanna M, Roth GA, Schroeder EB, Shah SH, Thacker EL, VanWagner LB, Virani SS, Voecks JH, Wang NY, Yaffe K, Martin SS. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics-2022 Update: A Report From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2022 Feb 22;145(8):e153-e639. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000001052. Epub 2022 Jan 26.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 35078371 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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H23563

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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