Cardiometabolic Health

his study investigates whether eating lean beef every day can help support brain health and healthy aging in older adults. As people age, protecting memory and cognitive function becomes increasingly important. Lean beef is a rich source of essential nutrients-such as vitamin B12, iron, zinc, and creatine-that are known to support brain function. However, the direct biological effects of a beef-rich diet on brain health markers are not fully understood. In this study, researchers will recruit 20 generally healthy older adults (aged 65 and older) to participate in a dietary feeding trial. Participants will complete two separate 2-week dietary phases. During one phase, participants will consume 5.5 ounces (156 grams) of provided lean beef daily. During the other phase, they will consume an iso-caloric, protein-matched, non-beef control food daily. A two-week "washout" period, where participants return to their normal diets, will separate the two phases to ensure there are no overlapping effects. Researchers will collect blood, urine, stool, and saliva samples at the beginning and end of each 2-week dietary phase. These samples will be analyzed to see if the lean beef diet improves specific biological markers in the blood related to memory, nerve protection, and overall brain aging. Ultimately, the findings from this study will help determine if incorporating lean beef into a regular diet can be a natural, food-based strategy to help preserve neurological health in older adults.

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate changes in glucose and lipid levels after consuming challenge meals enriched with selected indigenous fruits and vegetables in people living with type 2 diabetes in Wakiso district. The main question to answer is: Does the consumption of challenge meals enriched with indigenous fruits and vegetables improve glucose and lipid levels among people living with type 2 diabetes? Researchers will compare the effects of different challenge meals on glucose and lipid levels to identify the indigenous fruit and vegetable with the strongest glucose- and lipid-lowering effects. Participants will: Consume five challenge meals over 5 weeks. Visit the study site after a 5-7 day rest period to consume the challenge meal and complete the tests.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a major chronic health condition which increases risk of coronary artery disease, frailty, cognitive decline, and mortality. Additionally, hypertension is a major comorbidity for individuals with T2D, further increasing the risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes. The prevalence of both conditions increases with advancing age. There is an urgent need to identify new approaches to prevent the development of T2D and improve cardiometabolic health in older adults 50-70 years of age. Whole white potatoes are an unprocessed food rich in essential nutrients often under-consumed by Americans, including potassium, fiber, magnesium, vitamins C and B6, and phytochemicals. Each of these nutrients individually are associated with cardiometabolic health benefits. Potatoes account for a significant amount of the intake of these nutrients in the US diet and are well-positioned to be a foundational element of a healthy dietary pattern. However, there are few interventional studies evaluating the effect of potatoes on cardiometabolic health, and the evidence from observational studies is mixed, leaving a significant gap in knowledge regarding the potential for potatoes to be included in healthy dietary patterns. The results of our proposed study will provide foundational data that inform future dietary guidelines regarding the inclusion of white potatoes as part of a healthy US dietary pattern.

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn how different protein types affect the body's metabolism and immune system in healthy adults. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does drinking smoothies with animal-based or plant-based protein change the level of amino acids like leucine in the blood? Does adding leucine to a plant-based smoothie make the body respond like it does to an animal-based smoothie? Participants will: Come to the research clinic for 3 study visits Drink a high-protein smoothie at each visit (one with animal protein, one with plant protein, and one with plant protein + leucine) Give blood samples before and 1 and 3 hours after each smoothie Researchers will look at how the body's metabolism and immune system respond. They are especially interested in a pathway called mTOR, which helps control how cells use nutrients and may be involved in heart disease like atherosclerosis. All smoothies are prepared to meet Halal and Kosher dietary guidelines.

This study is testing whether improving health in girls during the prepubertal period may slow the onset of puberty. This study will focus on prepubertal girls who have a high weight status (at or above the 85th percentile for body mass index). Half of the girls who join the study will participate in a treatment program to reduce weight and improve lifestyle behaviors, and half of the girls will participate in a control condition. The frequency of pubertal onset will be compared across the groups. This research is important because girls who experience puberty at an earlier age are at risk for poor psychological and physical health. Girls in the treatment condition will participate in the Family Based Treatment (FBT) program, an established treatment for children who are overweight or obese. Families attend 20 weekly sessions (30 minutes each) over a 5-month period. Sessions are led by a trained interventionist and focus on healthy eating and physical activity behaviors. Girls in the control condition will receive their usual medical care through their pediatric care doctor or other care provider. Families will also receive educational handouts about 1 time per month, addressing topics related to healthy eating and physical activity behaviors. Families in both the treatment and control conditions will participate in assessments conducted at baseline and approximately 6-, 12-, 18-, 24-, 30-, and 36 months follow-up. These assessments are led by a data collector and include the measurement of height and weight, pubertal status, and health behaviors.

The purpose of this study is to achieve health and healthcare equity by implementing an equity-focused, mindfulness-based sleep intervention to reduce stress and sleep deficiency-related cardiometabolic disease burden in Black women.

The objective of The Neighborhood \& Health Study is to use a quasi-experimental mixed-methods approach to assess the impact of living in an agrihood-an agriculturally integrated community. This study follows a longitudinal cohort of residents of a newly developed neighborhood (the Indigo Neighborhood) and a geographically and socio-demographically matched neighborhood (the Elyson Neighborhood), both located in Fort Bend County, Texas, providing a unique opportunity for a natural experiment.

The goal of this study is to identify the effects of sleep regularity on cardiovascular regulatory mechanisms. The investigators are hoping to discover if improving the regularity of sleep timing will improve metabolic and vascular health markers. The protocol is a 12-week prospective cohort study that includes both field and in-laboratory data collection in ostensibly healthy male and female adults, aged 18-40years. We will also have a sub-group of individuals with chronic pain to examine the effects of sleep regularity on pain outcomes.

The goal of this randomized, double-blind, crossover trial is to test the hypothesis that a longer-term indoor HEPA filtration intervention can improve cardiometabolic profiles by reducing indoor PM2.5 exposures in at-risk individuals.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of the (Brighter Bites (BB) intervention compared to a wait-list control group 9 months after the intervention on changes in primary child outcomes (HbA1c, and vegetable intake), on changes in secondary outcomes (household food security status, parent and child dietary behaviors, and home access/availability of fruits and vegetables (FV)), and the mediational influence of changes in food security status, parent outcomes, and home environment measures on changes in child outcomes.

Women who experience placental complications (syndromes) during pregnancy, such as pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure and kidney problems), gestational hypertension (high blood pressure during pregnancy) and fetal growth restriction (baby being small) have twice the risk of developing heart disease and diabetes later in life, compared to women who have a healthy pregnancy. This study aims to assess risk factors for heart disease and diabetes in women who are actively trying to conceive, before and during their pregnancy, and 9-12 months after delivery of their baby, to see whether placental syndromes make a difference to their heart health. This will allow us to understand, if, and how, placental syndromes increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes, and, therefore, how best to reduce this risk and potentially prevent placental syndromes in the future. The investigators will also recruit women who are NOT planning pregnancy, as a control group.