PI: Kathleen Keller
Funder: The National Dairy Council #NCT07195474
Administered in: College of Health and Human Development
Abstract:
Yogurt consumption in the United States has increased over the past decade due to its recognized health benefits. In addition to its positive effects on body weight and cardiometabolic health, prior literature and data suggests that yogurt may also be beneficial for brain health, including cognitive processes involved with self-regulation (i.e., executive functions). There is a need to follow-up epidemiological data with experimental studies to determine whether daily yogurt intake can improve gut and brain health in children and collect feasibility data on the ideal dosage. This project offers an experimental investigation into the impacts of daily yogurt intake on children’s executive functioning (EF), hippocampal-dependent memory, brain activity, and gut health. The study will compare the impact of 1 versus 2 daily yogurt smoothies to an apple juice control on child EF and hippocampal-dependent memory. Secondly, compare the impact of 1 versus 2 daily yogurt smoothies to an apple juice control on prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation while children are performing a validated working memory (i.e., EF) task. Thirdly, aim to determine whether changes in child EF and PFC activation are associated with changes in gut microbiome and metabolome.
The study will include 2 visits to our lab at Penn State University Park. Each visit will last around 3 hours and will be scheduled about 4 weeks apart. Before each visit, a stool sample collection kit will be used by parents to collect a fecal sample from their child to bring to each visit. At each visit to our lab, children will play multiple problem-solving games, be weighed and measured, and wear an fNIRS cap while playing computer games.