King's College London

The NutriMood Study – Snack foods and their impact on mental health and the gut-brain axis

Advertisement for the recruitment of volunteers for study ref: HR/DP-22/23-35647 approved by King’s College London ethics committee. This project contributes to the College’s role in conducting research, and teaching research methods. You are under no obligation to reply to this email, however if you choose to, participation in this research is voluntary and you may withdraw at any time.

We would like to invite you to take part in a study to investigate effects of snack foods on mental health. See if you match the criteria below for eligibility:

• I am aged 18-45y
• I consume 2 or more snacks between meals each day
• I am willing to take part in a 13-week trial and replace my usual snacks with snacks provided to me
• I am willing to answer questionnaires about my physical and mental health
• I am willing to provide blood and stool samples on 2 occasions
• I have NO history of serious mental illness or chronic medical conditions
• I am not pregnant, lactating or planning pregnancy during the next 6 months

If you are interested, we will send you an information leaflet which will explain the study in detail. We will then need to assess your eligibility via a 20-minute telephone questionnaire. If you remain eligible you will be invited for a screening visit lasting up to 1 hour maximum at the Metabolic Research Unit (4^th Floor Franklin-Wilkins Building, Waterloo campus, King’s College London) where we will explain the study, measure height, weight and BMI to complete the eligibility process. You will also have the opportunity to ask any questions.

The intervention period lasts 12 weeks, and you will be provided with and asked to consume specific snack products in place of your usual snacks. During this time, you will attend 2 further study visits (lasting 1-1.5 hr), 12 weeks apart. At the visits, you will be asked to fill out questionnaires, provide blood and stool samples, and return two diaries (4-day food diary, a 7-day stool and symptom diary) that we will ask you to complete the week before each visit. You will also have a phone call with the study team at week 6 asking you to complete mental health questionnaires online.

Upon completion of the study, you will be reimbursed with £300.

Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any queries using the contact information below.

Thank you for your interest.

The NutriMood Study
Division of Nutritional Sciences,
4^th floor, Franklin-Wilkins Building
150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH

Email: nutrimood@kcl.ac.uk

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7848 4552