Cardioprotective and Mental Health Benefits of the MIND Diet Combined With Forest Bathing

This randomized controlled trial aims to study the effects of the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet combined with forest bathing (FB) on reducing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in Chinese adults aged 50-75 years at increased risk of CVDs. The study will assess the impact of the intervention on obesity, higher cholesterol, higher blood pressure, higher triglycerides and glucose levels, stress, and negative emotional state. The investigators hypothesize that the MIND diet combined with FB will have increased cardiac and mental health benefits in Chinese adults with elevated LDL-C compared to the MIND diet alone and routine care. The main questions it aims to answer are: * What are the effects of the MIND diet plus FB, the MIND diet alone, and routine care on various cardiovascular risk factors and mental health indicators at 4 weeks? * What is the sustained effect of the MIND diet plus FB, the MIND diet alone, and routine care on these cardiovascular risk factors at 12 weeks? * How do the effects of the MIND diet plus FB, the MIND diet alone, and routine care differ when considering other individual characteristics such as demographic and lifestyle factors? This twelve-week study will involve screening participants, obtaining their consent, and measuring various parameters such as blood pressure, lipid panel, glucose levels, waist circumference, body mass index, and dietary intake. Participants will also complete two psychometric questionnaires. Measurements will be taken at three time points: before the intervention, immediately after four weeks of intervention, and at the end of the twelve-week intervention period. Each measurement session is expected to last around 20 minutes. Participants assigned to the MIND group will attend nutrition group counseling classes and adopt the MIND diet for twelve weeks. Participants in the MIND plus FB group will attend nutrition group counseling classes and participate in forest bathing sessions. Participants in the routine-care group will continue their usual activities and receive health talks and pamphlets about cardiovascular diseases. The investigators will examine and compare the effects of the interventions on cardiovascular risk factors and mental health at 4 weeks and 12 weeks to determine if there are combined and sustained effects.

NCT Number	NCT06222632
Lead Sponsor	Tung Wah College
Conditions	Elevated LDL Cholesterol
Enrollment	273 participants
Start Date	2024-03-01
Primary Completion	2027-02-28 (estimated)
Study Completion	2027-02-28 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2024-03-26