Investigating the Combined Effects of Protein, Blueberries, and Exercise on Cardiovascular Health and Frailty in Older Nova Scotians

Summary

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. While CVDs are predominantly diseases of aging, age itself does not predict CVD risk; people age at different rates. Frailty is a state of accelerated aging that increases the risk of adverse health outcomes. Frail people are at higher risk of developing CVDs, experiencing complications, and dying from these diseases than fit people of the same age. Indeed, frailty predicts the likelihood of developing CVD independently of traditional risk factors for CVD. It is known that older women are frailer than men and tend to express CVDs differently than men, but whether relationships between frailty and CVD are sex specific is unclear. It is possible that shared pathophysiological mechanisms such as chronic inflammation may help explain links between CVD and frailty. Importantly, the degree of frailty can be modified by lifestyle interventions. For example, sedentary lifestyles, food insecurity, and suboptimal dietary habits can exacerbate frailty whereas diet and exercise interventions can attenuate frailty.

The investigators propose that a comprehensive health strategy targeting diet and physical activity to reduce frailty will reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), thereby promoting healthy aging. Engaging in physical activity (e.g. exercise) helps improve aerobic fitness, increase muscle mass, promote cardiac regeneration, enhance metabolic function, regulate blood pressure, improve insulin sensitivity, reduce inflammation (a key frailty mechanism), and lessen frailty. High-quality dietary protein is essential to maintain muscle mass/function, preserve mobility, attenuate inflammation, and reduce frailty. Packed with antioxidants such as anthocyanins and flavonoids, with high levels of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, blueberries, a local Nova Scotian food, can help lower blood pressure, improve blood vessel function, reduce inflammation, and help the body utilize dietary protein. These are critical aspects of a strong heart and healthy aging. To date, many frailty intervention studies have been limited by small sample sizes, underrepresentation of women, and/or by testing individual lifestyle modifications rather than synergistic effects; additionally, none have investigated how reducing frailty impacts cardiovascular outcomes. Our goal is to determine if a year-long multidomain intervention of protein, blueberries, and exercise reduces frailty and cardiovascular disease risk in older at-risk Nova Scotians of both sexes.

Conditions

• Cardiovascular Disease
• Frailty

Interventions

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

intervention of protein, blueberries

intervention of 30g/day (1 scoop) of a colorless, tasteless whey protein isolate powder supplement and 1 cup (150 grams) of blueberries per day.

BEHAVIORAL

Exercise training

Three 60-minute multimodal exercise sessions per week. Exercise interventions will be individualized to each participant based on their fitness level as per recommended guidelines for older adults. Each session will include a warm-up and cool-down (\~5 minutes each), 30 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise and 20 minutes of moderate intensity resistance training.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Dalhousie University

  collaborator OTHER

• Nova Scotia Health Authority

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

65 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-12-15

Primary Completion

2028-06-30

Completion

2028-12-31

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations