Effects of the Mediterranean Diet on Cardiovascular Risk Profile in Men and Women (ALIMED)

October 5, 2011 updated by: Simone Lemieux, Laval University

Gender Differences in Response to the Mediterranean Diet

The purpose of this study is to document differences between men and women in changes in metabolic variables associated with cardiovascular risk in response to a 4 weeks isocaloric controlled nutritional intervention based on the Mediterranean diet in which all foods and drinks are provided to subjects. The investigators hypothesize that the decrease in LDL-cholesterol will be more important in men than in women.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Nutritional interventions promoting the adoption of the traditional Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) are known to have significant and beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk profile. On the other hand, recent evidence suggests that women respond differently to diet than men. No study has yet compared men and women metabolic response to the MedDiet in a controlled metabolic context in which all foods and drinks consumed are provided to the participant prepared by the research team. Therefore, we do not know whether being fed a MedDiet in controlled conditions would have similar health benefits in men and women. The purpose of this study is to document differences between men and women in changes in metabolic variables associated with cardiovascular risk in response to a 4 weeks isocaloric controlled nutritional intervention based on the MedDiet in which all foods and drinks are provided to subjects. We hypothesize that the decrease in LDL-cholesterol will be more important in men than in women. In this parallel controlled trial, both men and women are assigned to the same 4 weeks experimental diet formulated to be concordant with characteristics of the traditional MedDiet. Data will be collected before and after the controlled nutritional intervention based on the MedDiet.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

70

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Canada
      • Quebec, Canada, G1V0A6
        • Institute of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods (INAF), Laval University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

25 years to 50 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Men and premenopausal women from de Quebec City metropolitan area.
  • Slightly elevated LDL-cholesterol concentrations (3.4-4.9 mM) or total cholesterol to HDL-C ratio ≥ 5.0
  • At least one of the four following factors of the metabolic syndrome: 1) waist circumference > 94 cm in men and > 80 cm in women; 2) TG > 1.7 mmol/L; 3) fasting glycemia between 6.1 and 6.9 mmol/L and 4) blood pressure concentrations ≥ 130 / 85 mm Hg.
  • Age: between 25 to 50 years
  • Stable body weight (+/- 2.5 kg) for at least 3 months before the beginning of the study
  • In women, a regular menstrual cycle for the last 3 months

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Subjects with endocrine disorders, cardiovascular events, type 1 or 2 diabetes and those using medication that could affect dependent variables measured (namely lipid-lowering, hypoglycemic, insulin sensitizers and anti hypertensive medication)
  • Smokers
  • Subjects with history of alcoholism
  • Subjects with food allergies or food aversion that could impede compliance to the Mediterranean diet
  • Pregnant women and those using systemic hormonal contraceptives

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Men and Mediterranean diet
Men who are assigned to a 4 weeks experimental diet formulated to be concordant with characteristics of the traditional Mediterranean diet.
Other: Controlled nutritional intervention based on the Mediterranean diet
Men are assigned to a 4 weeks isocaloric controlled nutritional intervention based on the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) in which all foods and drinks are provided. The respective percentages of kcal derived from lipids, carbohydrates, protein and alcohol are respectively of 32%, 48%, 15% and 5%. Habitual energy intake of each participant is established by averaging energy requirements estimated by a validated food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and energy needs as determined by the Harris-Benedict formula. Body weight is measured on weekdays and total energy provided is revised if necessary for minimizing body weight fluctuations. This intervention period is preceded by a 4 weeks uncontrolled run-in period based on the Canada's Food Guide.
Other: Controlled nutritional intervention based on the Mediterranean diet
Women are assigned to the same intervention than men in order to compare men and women metabolic response to the MedDiet.
Experimental: Women and Mediterranean diet
Women who are assigned to a 4 weeks experimental diet formulated to be concordant with characteristics of the traditional Mediterranean diet.
Other: Controlled nutritional intervention based on the Mediterranean diet
Men are assigned to a 4 weeks isocaloric controlled nutritional intervention based on the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) in which all foods and drinks are provided. The respective percentages of kcal derived from lipids, carbohydrates, protein and alcohol are respectively of 32%, 48%, 15% and 5%. Habitual energy intake of each participant is established by averaging energy requirements estimated by a validated food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and energy needs as determined by the Harris-Benedict formula. Body weight is measured on weekdays and total energy provided is revised if necessary for minimizing body weight fluctuations. This intervention period is preceded by a 4 weeks uncontrolled run-in period based on the Canada's Food Guide.
Other: Controlled nutritional intervention based on the Mediterranean diet
Women are assigned to the same intervention than men in order to compare men and women metabolic response to the MedDiet.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Cardiometabolic outcomes
Time Frame: At baseline (at the beginning of the intervention) and at the end of the intervention period (4 weeks).
Total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, apolipoprotein (apo) B, apo A-1 and apo A-2 plasma concentrations, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, glucose and insulin concentrations during a 180-min oral glucose tolerance test, insulin sensitivity, CRP and Interleukine-6 levels, oxidized-LDL, E-selectin, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1.
At baseline (at the beginning of the intervention) and at the end of the intervention period (4 weeks).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Nutritional variables
Time Frame: At baseline (at the beginning of the intervention), at the end of the intervention period (4 weeks) and at 6-months post-intervention (28 weeks).
Dietary intakes
At baseline (at the beginning of the intervention), at the end of the intervention period (4 weeks) and at 6-months post-intervention (28 weeks).
Eating behaviors
Time Frame: At baseline (at the beginning of the intervention) and at the end of the intervention period (4 weeks)
Restraint, disinhibition, and susceptibility to hunger
At baseline (at the beginning of the intervention) and at the end of the intervention period (4 weeks)
Appetite ratings
Time Frame: At baseline (at the beginning of the intervention) and at the end of the intervention period (4 weeks)
Desire to eat, hunger, fullness, and prospective food consumption
At baseline (at the beginning of the intervention) and at the end of the intervention period (4 weeks)
physical activity habits
Time Frame: At baseline (at the beginning of the intervention) and at the end of the intervention period (4 weeks)
Weekly questionnaire about physical activities, a validated 3-day physical activity record (two weekdays and one weekend day)
At baseline (at the beginning of the intervention) and at the end of the intervention period (4 weeks)
Anthropometric measurements
Time Frame: At baseline (at the beginning of the intervention), at the end of the intervention period (4 weeks) and at 6-months post-intervention (28 weeks)
Height, weight, body mass index, waist and hip circumferences,
At baseline (at the beginning of the intervention), at the end of the intervention period (4 weeks) and at 6-months post-intervention (28 weeks)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Laval University

Collaborators

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Simone Lemieux, Ph.D., Dt.P., Department of food sciences and nutrition / Institute of Nutraceutical and Functional Foods (INAF), Laval University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

October 1, 2007

Primary Completion (Actual)

April 1, 2010

Study Completion (Actual)

October 1, 2010

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 9, 2011

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 9, 2011

First Posted (Estimate)

February 10, 2011

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

October 7, 2011

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 5, 2011

Last Verified

October 1, 2011

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • ALIMED-2007-180 A3 R-2

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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