Environmentally Sustainable Nutrition for Older Adults (55+) With Obesity

Summary

The objective of the pilot study (feasibility study) is to assess the acceptability and feasibility of the developed 2EAT dietary treatment in obese older adults (55+).

For ecological reasons, the goal of the dietary treatment plan is to achieve an intake of 60% plant-based proteins in older adults (55+) in a healthy and nutritionally adequate way during a period of weight loss. The investigators developed the new dietary treatment plan for 6 months (RCT). To further optimize the new treatment plan the 2EAT study includes this feasibility study with a duration of 8 weeks.

In the feasibility study, the effect of a more plant-based hypocaloric diet on the protein intake of older adults (55+) with obesity is evaluated. To assess the feasibility of the treatment plan, 20 obese older adults will follow the newly developed dietary treatment for 8 weeks. The participants will be guided by experienced dieticians that are part of the study consortium, in their dietetic practice. All dieticians will be trained to execute the 2EAT dietary treatment plan.

The desired effect of the treatment is that participants change their protein intake and achieve an intake of 1.2 g/kg/d of which 60% is from plant-based sources. Additionally, the experience of both the older adults as well as the experience of the dieticians will be monitored during the 8 weeks of intervention. During 8 weeks there will be continuous monitoring of the implementation of the treatment plan by keeping logbooks (dieticians), and measurement of the food intake of the participants. When participants deviate from the diet, the dietician must make timely adjustments with available behavioral techniques. The primary outcome of the feasibility phase is the protein intake: source (plant-based vs. animal-based), amount (g/kg/day) and protein quality per meal (amino acid score). Secondary outcomes are the body weight and BMI of participants and qualitative information about the experience of participants and dieticians with the use of the new treatment plan. Dieticians are professionals in working with older clients with obesity during a weight loss program, and are competent to execute the treatment plan and additionally monitor and make adjustments to coach the participant towards the desired diet and goal. Findings and experiences from the 8-week feasibility study will be used to further improve the 2EAT dietary treatment. The optimized dietary plan will eventually be used in the RCT study.

Conditions

• Obesity
• Aging

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

A more plant-based diet during weight loss

Participants receive dietary counseling on a more plant-based diet during weight loss. They will be counseled by a dietician to increase their plant-based protein intake up to 60%, focusing on 1.2 grams of protein per kg body weight.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Peter Weijs · Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

55 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-02-01

Primary Completion

2024-05-01

Completion

2024-05-01