Mild Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Healthy Adults Clinical Trial
Official title:
BacterioPHAGE for Gastrointestinal Health 2 Study
The BacterioPHAGE for Gastrointestinal Health-2 study is designed to determine if a commercial bacteriophage product can increase the survival and efficacy of probiotic bacteria that will be concurrently administered. Bacteriophages may act as prebiotics, which are traditionally defined as indigestible dietary components that selectively enhance specific bacterial species in the intestines to confer a health benefit. In this study, the "prebiotic" is a unique combination of bacteriophages, or viruses that infect bacteria. These phages are generally regarded as safe for human consumption and are presumed to function by infecting pro-inflammatory E. coli strains in the gut. The removal of these strains alters the gut environment to allow growth of more favorable bacteria, and the lysis products of these E. coli may be assimilated by beneficial species to enhance their populations.The phage product, PreforPro, has shown to be effective in culture-based and animal studies, but its efficacy in increasing specific probiotic species has not been demonstrated in humans. The investigators have previously shown that PreforPro is both safe and tolerable in a human population and does not broadly disrupt the gut microbiota as would be seen with antibiotic treatment.
The commercial bacteriophage preparation,PreforPro, is often found as an ingredient in
commercial probiotcs, so the goal of the current study is to determine if PreforPro
consumption concurrent with probiotic usage improves probiotic survival and activity. A
secondary goal of this study is to assess various physiologic parameters to determine whether
consumption of PreforPro with a probiotic offers any health benefits beyond those of
consuming a probiotic alone. The investigators will examine whether consumption of the
PreforPro product increases detectable numbers of co-consumed probiotics and improves
parameters in clinical outcomes related to glucose and lipid metabolism, cardiovascular
function, inflammation of the intestines, or physical symptoms of gastrointestinal distress.
To accomplish these research goals, the investigators will be seeking 200 male and female
volunteers between 18-65 years old with BMI scores of 22 to 34.9. Recruitment will be by
referral from local practitioners, email recruitment, and through word-of-mouth. Eligibility
will be determined at the Colorado State University Food and Nutrition Clinical Research lab
by a screening questionnaire and interview/assessment by the clinical coordinator. After
securing consent, eligibility will be confirmed by taking anthropometric measures and
participants falling within the BMI range will randomly be assigned to 1 of 3 treatment
groups: (1) PreforPro+Bifidobacterium probiotic, (2) Bifidobacterium probiotic alone, or (3)
placebo. Participants will consume the provided capsules daily for a period of four (4)
weeks. Participants will be asked to visit the clinic at Visit 1 (Day 0) to pick up their
supply of capsules and undergo sample collections (blood and stool) and analysis procedures,
including weight/height, blood pressure, endothelial function analysis, gastrointestinal
symptom screening, and blood and stool sample collection. At the end of the 4 week treatment
period, all analyses will be repeated. This means that participants will undergo screening
(either in person or by phone) and make a total of two (2) clinic visits during the study
(baseline, and final visit). Participants will additionally be asked to complete two 24 hour
dietary recalls prior to each clinic visit and track bowel movements using the Bristol Stool
Scale throughout the study treatment period. All blood samples will be collected at Colorado
State University by trained personnel. Fecal sample collection will be performed by the study
participant with collection materials provided.
;
| Status | Clinical Trial | Phase | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recruiting |
NCT06404749 -
Fungal Fiber for Gut Health
|
N/A |