Acetate and Age-associated Arterial Dysfunction
Aging, Vascular Stiffness, Vascular Dilation
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Aging focused on measuring Acetate, Short-chain fatty acids, Gut microbiome, Arterial function
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Able to provide informed consent;
- Age 50+ years;
- Serum phosphorus levels >= 2.5 mg/dl at screening;
- Habitual dietary fiber intake <30 g/day for men or <21 g/day for women, based on Block Fiber Screener conducted at screening;
- Weight-stable in the 3 months prior to enrollment (self-report);
- Willing to abstain from dietary supplements for 48 hours and from alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis products for 24 hours before all visits;
Exclusion Criteria:
- History of current serious, chronic clinical disease, e.g., cardiovascular disease, diabetes, liver disease, Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, cancer;
- Major changes in health in the past 3 months, e.g., hospitalizations, major surgeries, significant changes in medications;
- Currently taking calcium acetate or any other calcium supplementation;
- Screening FMDba > 8%;
- Body mass index > 40 kg/m^2 at screening;
- Regular vigorous/aerobic endurance >4 bouts/week for >30 min/bout at a workload of >6 METS;
- Any apparent dependence on or abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis products;
- Pregnancy, breast-feeding, or plans to become pregnant during the duration of the study;
- Any finding on the medical history, physical exam, or standard clinical blood labs that, in the opinion of the physician of record, would put the subject at increased risk with calcium supplementation.
Sites / Locations
- University of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusRecruiting
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
Placebo Comparator
Acetate
Placebo
Subjects will be orally supplemented with calcium acetate for 12 weeks. Subjects will be instructed to take a volume of the oral liquid solution that contains 1,334 mg of calcium acetate 3x per day with meals, for a total dose of 4,000 mg/day. Calcium acetate will be compounded by the CU Anschutz Medical Campus Research Pharmacy and dispensed to subjects in 4-week supplies.
Subjects will be orally supplemented with calcium carbonate for 12 weeks. This placebo has been selected to match any potential effects of calcium and phosphate binding of the calcium acetate, i.e., we will isolate the effects of acetate. Subjects will be instructed to take a volume of the oral liquid solution equal to that of the calcium acetate group 3x per day with meals. To match the amount of elemental calcium between calcium acetate and calcium carbonate, this dose of calcium carbonate will contain 833 mg of calcium carbonate, for a total dose of 2,500 mg/day. Calcium carbonate will be compounded by the CU Anschutz Medical Campus Research Pharmacy, visually identical to calcium acetate including the packaging, and dispensed to subjects in 4-week supplies.