Westlake Nutrition and Brain Health Study
Westlake Nutrition and Brain Health Study
The Westlake Nutrition and Brain Study (WEBRAIN), a sub-study of the Guangzhou Nutrition and Health Study, is a prospective cohort study of residents in Guangzhou city. WEBRAIN aims to explore the links between diet, gut microbiome, and brain health in elderly individuals through comprehensive phenotyping, including continuous blood glucose monitoring for standardized test meals, objective physical activity measurement, and brain magnetic resonance imaging.
The gut-brain axis is implicated in neurodegenerative diseases through various mechanisms, with diet and nutrition linked to both gut and brain health. However, most evidence comes from animal models or small-scale human studies.
The Westlake Nutrition and Brain Study (WEBRAIN) aims to investigate the relationships among diet, gut microbiome, and brain structure and function in a large human cohort through comprehensive phenotyping: 1) objective physical activity measurement using accelerometers over two weeks; 2) continuous blood glucose monitoring for two weeks, including two standardized test meals, alongside traditional dietary assessment via Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQ) and 24-hour recalls; 3) assessment of cognitive function and brain imaging using the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R) and brain MRI; and 4) gut microbiome profiling analysis using sequencing techniques.
Inclusion Criteria:
Participants from the Guangzhou Nutrition and Health Study, lived in Guangzhou, China, and aged 45 years or older;
Exclusion Criteria:
Metal implants and other contraindications for magnetic resonance imaging scanning