Endothelial Dysfunction clinical trials at UC Davis

This study seeks to confirm and extend previous finding that four weeks of daily intake of 40 g of walnuts improve microvascular function, increasing the reactive hyperemia index (RHI), effects which were greatest in individuals with the worst initial RHI and correlating to circulating levels of vasoactive plasma epoxides. The current trial will enroll postmenopausal women who are at risk for cardiovascular disease due to their menopausal status and increased central adiposity. The initial trial focused on non-esterified (i.e. plasma) derived oxylipins, but substantial and unique changes were also observed in the esterified lipoprotein pool. The current study will add the esterified lipoprotein pool, important, as the mechanisms by which walnut intake influences endothelial function are currently undefined, but may include lipoprotein induced modulation of vascular hemostasis. As a secondary objective, primary metabolism and urolithin metabotype will be analyzed as a way to capture the influence of potential differences in habitual diet and metabolism on physiologic response. Therefore, this study will combine measures of cardiovascular physiology, metabolomics, and walnut-derived metabolite analyses to assess the 12 week influence of 40 g of daily walnut intake on the health of overweight and obese postmenopausal women.