Neurobehavioral Plasticity to Regular Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake: An fMRI Experiment

University of North Carolina (UNC)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Weight Gain; Obesity

Treatments: Dietary Supplement: Black Cherry and Orange Flavored Beverage with added sugar; Dietary Supplement: Strawberry Kiwi & Lemonade Flavored Beverage no added sugar; Dietary Supplement: Strawberry Kiwi &Lemonade Flavored Beverage with added sugar; Dietary Supplement: Black Cherry and Orange Flavored Beverage no added sugar; Other: Water

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT03490734

1R01DK112317-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

17-0710

Details and patient eligibility

About

The proposed project will examine the strength, specificity and persistence of neurobehavioral adaptions that occur in the initial period of repeated consumption of a branded sugar sweetened beverage (SSB).

Full description

The proposed project addresses critical gaps in the understanding of the strength, specificity and persistence of neurobehavioral adaptions that occur in the initial period of repeated consumption of a branded sugar sweetened beverage (SSB). Half of Americans consume SSBs on any given day.

Regular SSB intake is considered a contributing factor to excess energy intake, weight gain, and obesity, which impacts 70% of Americans. A contributing factor to repeated SSB consumption is sugar intake causes the release of dopamine (DA) and opioids in the striatum, providing positive reinforcement. As such, multiple brain-based models of food reward-driven obesity have been proposed, largely focusing on the striatum and executive functioning. These brain-based models of obesity have elucidated risk factors for overconsumption of high-sugar foods; however, data supporting these competing models rely heavily on observational studies in small samples.

Importantly, previous reports from the investigators lab and others directly implicate eating behavior patterns as a vital contributor to aberrant neurobehavioral responses to food stimuli. However, without experimental evidence, there are fundamental gaps in the investigators knowledge about the neurobehavioral adaptations that occur as an individual begins to regularly consume a SSB prior to weight change.

As observational data suggest, it is also crucial to examine individual difference factors that may exacerbate or protect against adaptations associated with regular SSB intake, as well as whether these adaptions are specific.

Enrollment: 160 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 28 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Potential participants will be eligible for the study if they have BMI scores between the 18 and 34 at baseline.

Exclusion criteria

• Individuals with probable current Axis I psychopathology or any fMRI contra-indicators (e.g., metal implants, braces) will be excluded. Those with a probable Axis I diagnosis will be provided with treatment referral information and encouraged to seek treatment,
• current regular use (3 or more times a week) of psychoactive drugs (e.g., cocaine, marijuana, nicotine),
• regular smoking,
• serious medical problems (e.g., cancer, diabetes),
• dietary practices that do not allow intake of intervention beverages.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Diagnostic

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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160 participants in 4 patient groups

Beverage A (Sweetened)

Active Comparator group

Description:

One quarter of the group to receive black cherry and orange flavored beverage with added sugar for 3 weeks. MRIs will be performed before starting and then after 3 weeks of daily beverage consumption wherein participants will be presented with visual stimuli of two beverage logos, one representing a water solution and another representing the assigned beverage. Each 1-second presentation signals impending delivery of 3 mL of the associated beverage via a plastic mouthpiece during MRI.

Treatment:

Other: Water

Dietary Supplement: Black Cherry and Orange Flavored Beverage with added sugar

Beverage B (Sweetened)

Active Comparator group

Description:

One quarter of the group to receive strawberry kiwi \& lemonade flavored beverage with added sugar for 3 weeks. MRIs will be performed before starting and then after 3 weeks of daily beverage consumption wherein participants will be presented with visual stimuli of two beverage logos, one representing a water solution and another representing the assigned beverage. Each 1-second presentation signals impending delivery of 3 mL of the associated beverage via a plastic mouthpiece during MRI.

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Strawberry Kiwi &Lemonade Flavored Beverage with added sugar

Other: Water

Beverage A (Unsweetened)

Active Comparator group

Description:

One quarter of the group to receive black cherry and orange flavored beverage no added sugar for 3 weeks. MRIs will be performed before starting and then after 3 weeks of daily beverage consumption wherein participants will be presented with visual stimuli of two beverage logos, one representing a water solution and another representing the assigned beverage. Each 1-second presentation signals impending delivery of 3 mL of the associated beverage via a plastic mouthpiece during MRI.

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Black Cherry and Orange Flavored Beverage no added sugar

Other: Water

Beverage B (Unsweetened)

Active Comparator group

Description:

One quarter of the group to receive strawberry kiwi \& lemonade flavored beverage no added sugar for 3 weeks. MRIs will be performed before starting and then after 3 weeks of daily beverage consumption wherein participants will be presented with visual stimuli of two beverage logos, one representing a water solution and another representing the assigned beverage. Each 1-second presentation signals impending delivery of 3 mL of the associated beverage via a plastic mouthpiece during MRI.

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Strawberry Kiwi & Lemonade Flavored Beverage no added sugar

Other: Water