Quinoa Biscuit & CVD Risk Trial

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the most common chronic diseases in older populations, which has been increasing in line with rising overweight and obesity levels in recent years. Dietary intake is a major modifiable risk factor for CVD, and one such recommendation is to increase the intake of essential (omega-3) polyunsaturated fats in our diets, for example by consuming more oily fish. We know, however, from large population level dietary surveys, that many individuals within the United Kingdom (UK) population are not consuming enough oily fish. Therefore, alternative dietary sources of omega-3 polyunsaturated fats are required to help meet consumer needs.

Quinoa is a traditional Andean seed crop consumed in a similar fashion to staple cereal grains in Europe, and the popularity of quinoa has been growing worldwide because of its nutritional content and perceived healthiness. Quinoa contains a small amount of fat, but the ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 essential fats is more favourable in quinoa than in other plant oils. An opportunity therefore exists to incorporate quinoa flour into more frequently consumed food products (e.g. biscuits) as an alternative means of increasing consumers omega-3 intake.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of consuming quinoa-enriched biscuits, compared to control, on markers of CVD risk over 4-weeks in older adults.