High-Dairy Food Patterns and Gut-Brain Axis

Inclusion criteria

• Men and postmenopausal women (≥ 2 years since last menstruation);
• Aged between 40-75 years;
• BMI between 25-35 kg/m2 (overweight or obese);
• Low-to-moderate habitual dairy consumption (≤ 3 servings/day);
• Fasting serum total cholesterol < 8.0 mmol/L;
• Fasting serum triacylglycerol < 4.5 mmol/L;
• Fasting plasma glucose < 7.0 mmol/L;
• Systolic blood pressure < 160 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure < 100 mmHg;
• Stable body weight (weight gain or loss < 3 kg in the past three months).

Exclusion criteria

• Left-handedness;
• Milk protein allergy or lactose intolerance;
• Current smoker, or smoking cessation < 12 months;
• Familial hypercholesterolemia;
• Abuse of drugs;
• Alcoholic intake >3 standard drinks/day;
• Use of medications, food products or dietary supplements affecting glucose, lipid, or blood pressure regulation, gut microbiota or mental or neurological function, judged by the principal investigator;
• Use of antibiotics within the previous month;
• Use of other biomedical investigational products within the previous month;
• Participation in another clinical trial within the past month;
• Severe medical conditions including type 2 diabetes, epilepsy, asthma, kidney failure, COPD, inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmune diseases, or rheumatoid arthritis;
• History of cardiovascular events (e.g., heart attack, stroke) or active cardiovascular disease;
• Contra-indications for MRI imaging (e.g. pacemaker, metal implants, claustrophobia);
• Willing to donate blood starting from 8 weeks before the study begins, throughout the study, and for 4 weeks after its inclusion;
• Difficult to venipuncture as evidenced during the screening visit.