Effect of Morning Snack on Cognitive Performance in Adults

Toronto Metropolitan University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Satiety; Cognitive Change; Nutrition; Food Intake Control

Treatments: Other: Control; Other: Dark chocolate 1; Other: White chocolate; Other: Dark chocolate 2

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03637829

Ryerson-REB-2017-339

Details and patient eligibility

About

To characterize the effects of three chocolate snacks on cognitive performance, subjective appetite, food intake control, and glycemic response in normal weight adults.

Full description

On 4 separate mornings, 7 days apart, 12 hours after an overnight fast, and 3 hours after a standardized breakfast of a cereal bar, orange juice and fruit cup, participants will consume isocaloric snacks of white chocolate, 2 types of dark chocolate or control (water), followed by an ad libitum pizza lunch 90 minutes later. Upon arrival, at baseline (0 minutes), participants will be asked to complete the motivation-to-eat, global vigor and subjective emotion visual analogue scales (VAS), a battery of cognitive performance tasks and have blood samples taken, as reported and validated in our previous studies. Over the 90 minute testing period, blood samples will be taken,the VAS questions will be completed and cognitive tasks will be completed. Cognitive performance assessments will include learning and memory, spatial memory, attention and processing speed, and executive functions. VAS measuring physical comfort is completed pre- and post-meal. Ad libitum food intake from a test meal will be measured.

Enrollment: 26 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 35 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• be between 18 and 35 years of age
• be healthy and have a have body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 24.9
• not be taking any medications, not smoking, and
• not have allergies to chocolate, dairy or gluten
• be tested during the early follicular phase of their menstrual cycle for women

Exclusion criteria

• anyone with food sensitivities or allergies to chocolate, dairy or gluten,
• smokers
• diabetic or overweight/obese individuals.
• Restrained eating habits, defined as scoring greater than 11 points on the eating habits questionnaire

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

---

26 participants in 4 patient groups, including a placebo group

Control

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

250 mL of water

Treatment:

Other: Control

White Chocolate

Active Comparator group

Description:

White chocolate (40 g)

Treatment:

Other: White chocolate

Dark chocolate 1

Experimental group

Description:

Dark chocolate (40 g)

Treatment:

Other: Dark chocolate 1

Dark chocolate 2

Experimental group

Description:

Dark chocolate (46 g) possibly containing caffeine and/or theobromine

Treatment:

Other: Dark chocolate 2