Investigating hedonic eating and its relation with some psychological characteristics and the effect of curcumin supplementation on serum levels of Anandamide and BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) and hedonic eating intensity in overweight and obese women

Investigating hedonic eating and its relation with some psychological characteristics and the effect of curcumin supplementation on serum levels of Anandamide and BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) and hedonic eating intensity in overweight and obese women

In this double-blind clinical trial (both participants and researchers), patients visiting the nutrition specialist at Imam Reza Hospital will be randomly assigned to two groups. One group will receive oral curcumin supplementation, while the other group will receive an oral placebo capsule. Sleep quality will be compared between the two groups after eight weeks of intervention.

In this randomized double-blind clinical trial, participants in two study groups will receive either a 40 mg capsule of nano-micelle curcumin (with 100% encapsulation efficiency, equivalent to 0.8-2 grams of turmeric) or a placebo (containing a mixture of microcrystalline cellulose) with their lunch, for a duration of 8 weeks. Adherence to the intervention will be assessed by counting the number of capsules consumed.

The inclusion criteria for the study will consist of apparently healthy women with literacy skills, overweight and obese women, and women over the age of 18. The exclusion criteria will include postmenopausal women, pregnant or breastfeeding women, women with a recent history of weight loss or bariatric surgery, and women who have recently taken supplements or medications affecting sleep.

In this study, patients who will visit the doctor due to obesity will be intervened. The patients will be randomly divided into two groups. One group will receive oral curcumin supplementation, while the other group will receive an oral placebo capsule. Sleep quality will be compared between the two groups after eight weeks.

Sleep quality

In this study, with a sample size of 46, patients will be randomly allocated using the block permutation randomization method, which is employed to ensure balance in the number of participants allocated to each group. Six possible blocks are defined, each containing four participants: Block 1 (BBAA), Block 2 (AABB), Block 3 (ABAB), Block 4 (BABA), Block 5 (ABBA), and Block 6 (BAAB). To allocate participants, 12 blocks are needed for 46 individuals. These blocks are generated using the Random Allocation Software, which can create random sequences using the block randomization method. Numbers from 1 to 6 are randomly selected, and for example, if block 6 is selected first and block 2 second, the sequence BAABAABB will be assigned to the participants as they enter the study, from left to right. In the end, participants will be divided into two groups: the intervention group (Group A) and the control group (Group B).

The principal investigator and participants will remain unaware of the procedure being performed and will be blinded throughout the study; therefore, this study will be conducted as a double-blind trial. Since participants will be unaware of the type of drug being used, they will not know what type of medication is being administered to other patients in the study.