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Could a meat-based diet shield aging brains? scientists check the blood for clues

NCT ID NCT06261775

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: South Dakota State University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

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Expanded access (paused)
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Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
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Status unknown
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First seen Sep 17, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers at South Dakota State University are studying whether eating minimally processed animal protein as part of a healthy diet changes blood markers linked to cognitive decline. The work uses stored blood samples from 36 generally healthy adults aged 65 and older who took part in an earlier feeding trial. Participants had followed either a meal plan with red meat or a no-meat diet, with all food provided. The team measures phosphatidylcholine, a fat-related compound in blood, to see whether diet quality shows up in markers tied to brain aging.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
a meal plan built around minimally processed animal protein, compared with a no-meat diet
What this could lead to
If the markers move in a helpful direction, this could sharpen guidance on what older adults should eat to protect brain health. It may also point to specific blood fats worth tracking in future diet studies.
What could go wrong
This is a small retrospective look at stored samples from 36 people, so it can only hint at links, not prove cause and effect. Diet studies often struggle to separate one nutrient from everything else participants eat.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

36 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jan 2024

Finished

Jul 2026

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

65 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Generally, good health status based on one routine physical in the past 15 months, current health status * Normal HbA1C, weigh 110 lb or more * Age 65 years or more, generally healthy, all races and both sexes * Generally practicing a meat-based dietary pattern, do not have any special dietary requirements, and * Willingness to comply with the study protocol, including on-site meal consumption and sample/data collection. Exclusion Criteria: * Medication usage, probiotic, long-term antibiotic, and tobacco/drug/alcohol use * Not on any special diet within 3 months of recruitment, and do not intend to lose weight * Impaired kidney functions * Active history of cancer, diabetes, heart, liver, and kidney diseases * Major gastrointestinal disorders in the past 3 months * History of heart attacks or stroke * Unable to meet in-person visit requirements for dining, picking up meals, and tests * Any mental health condition affecting the ability to provide written informed consent * If they had not had a routine health checkup 12 months before recruitment. * If they were unwilling to abstain from taking nutritional supplements, alcohol, non-study foods, and beverages during the study period.

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As listed by the trial registrant

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Healthy lifestyle

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • South Dakota State University, Wagner Hall 416

    Brookings, South Dakota, 57007, United States

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