Breastfeeding women will be randomized to either the avocado or no avocado group when their infants are 3 months of age. They will provide milk samples every two weeks for 12 weeks. Infants will be tested for cognitive abilities at 4.5 and 6 months of age. We hypothesize that women consuming avocado will have higher levels of key nutrients in their milk (specifically, choline, lutein, and fatty acids) and that these nutrients will translate into better cognitive abilities in the infants, relative to the no avocado group.
You will be assigned to either eat avocados or avoid all avocados. You will come in to the lab when your baby is 3, 4.5, and 6 months of age. We will play age-appropriate games with your baby and will record brain activity during a recognition memory task. You will provide milk samples every 2 weeks - we will pick them up from you if you are not scheduled to come in person. If you are in the avocado group, you will be asked to eat an avocado a day. Avocados will be provided. If you are not in the avocado group, you will simply keep eating the way you normally do, but will be asked to not eat avocados. You will receive a complimentary supply of avocados at the end of the study.
$75 per in-person session for a total possible of $225
UNC Nutrition Research Institute
500 Laureate Way, Kannapolis, NC 28081, USA
Carol Cheatham
Nutrition Research Institute
Behavioral or Social
Interventional
Eating, Nutrition, and Metabolism
23-2933
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