Effect of Consuming Pork From Seaweed Extract Fed Animals on Antioxidant Status

February 10, 2016 updated by: University of Ulster

Effect of Consuming Pork From Animals Supplemented With Laminarin and Fucoidan Derived From the Brown Seaweed Laminaria Digitata on the Antioxidant Status of Human Participants.

Red meat makes a significant contribution to the human diet. The most widely consumed meat globally is pork which accounts for 36% of overall meat intake with beef and poultry contributing 22% and 35%, respectively. Pork meat provides a range of important nutrients including protein, zinc, B-vitamins and a range of important minerals however there is accumulating evidence to suggest that consuming red meat and processed meat increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and colon cancer. Despite these reports of a negative impact on health, global pork consumption continues to increase and there are increasing efforts to improve the nutritional profile of pork meat through the development of novel porcine feed regimens. The manipulation of pig feed to produce 'healthier' meat and meat products offers a feasible approach to reduce the risk of preventable disease. Furthermore, recent projections of an increased global demand for pork and poultry, particularly in China, have highlighted the increasing strain that will be placed on the supply of grains and the need to find alternative and sustainable feed ingredients. Macroalgae is emerging as a potential sustainable source of novel bioactive ingredients for the animal feed industry with some species known to be a good source of protein, minerals, polyunsaturated fatty acids and a range of fibre components including fucoidan and laminarin.

The polysaccharides, laminarin and fucoidan, which are found in abundance in brown seaweed, are gaining increasing attention as a potential bioactive feed ingredients with putative antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities. Incorporation of a laminarin/fucioidan mix (LAM/FUC) into the porcine diet was shown to result in lower levels of lipid oxidation in fresh pork steaks. Numerous studies to date have also investigated the health promoting effects of LAM/FUC through modulation of the porcine gut microbiota which was shown to enhance inflammatory cytokine expression in response to pathogen recognition and also to increase piglet performance post weaning.

The uptake and fate of fucoidan in humans remains unknown albeit after consumption, unaltered fucoidan has been detected in human plasma after ingestion suggesting at least partial bioavailability of this compound. A study by Moroney et al. (2015) using an in vitro bioavailability Caco-2 model provided indications that fucoidan was bioavailable and that it may have potent antioxidant potential.

The primary aim of this randomised parallel placebo controlled human intervention trial was to investigate if consuming pork meat from pigs supplemented with a LAM/FUC mix, in addition to their normal diet, would impact on blood oxidant and inflammatory status of healthy adults. The secondary aim was to determine the effect of consuming LAM/FUC fed pork meat on lymphocyte DNA damage, lipid status and immune function in healthy adults.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
40

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United Kingdom
    • Co.Londonderry
      • Coleraine, Co.Londonderry, United Kingdom, BT52 1SA
        • Human Intervention Studies Unit, Ulster University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 55 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Healthy
  • Age 18-55 years
  • Non smoking
  • BMI of < 18.5 or > 30 kg/m2.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Regular consumers of seaweed (>5 g/week)
  • Non-consumers of pork or pork products
  • Smoker
  • Pregnant and lactating women
  • Vegetarians and vegans
  • Lactose intolerant individuals
  • Diabetes
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Autoimmune/ inflammatory disorders
  • History of neoplasm
  • Recent acute illness and/or chronic prescribed or self-prescribed use of anti-inflammatory agents (including aspirin)
  • Use of broad spectrum antibiotics
  • Use of drugs active on gastrointestinal motility or laxatives
  • Use of dietary supplements (specifically probiotics or prebiotics).

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Placebo Comparator: Treatment 1
Pork meat from pigs feed with a standard feed
Other: Pork meat from pigs feed with a standard feed.
4 week intervention with 700g (raw weight) of pork meat (3x pork burgers (125g raw weight each) + pork mince (325 g raw weight) per week.
Experimental: Treatment 2
Pork meat from pigs fed a feed with a Laminarin/fucoidan mix
Other: Pork meat from pigs fed a feed with a Laminarin/fucoidan mix
4 week intervention with 700g (raw weight) of pork meat (3x pork burgers (125g raw weight each) + pork mince (325 g raw weight) per week from pigs fed animal feed supplemented (5.37 kg/tonne of feed) with spray-dried laminarin and fucoidan (seaweed).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in antioxidant status
Time Frame: Baseline + 4 weeks
Plasma Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power
Baseline + 4 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in protection against DNA damage
Time Frame: Baseline + 4 weeks
Lymphocyte DNA damage prior to and following an oxidative challenge with hydrogen peroxide.
Baseline + 4 weeks
Change in serum lipid profile
Time Frame: Baseline + 4 weeks
Baseline + 4 weeks
Change in plasma inflammatory status
Time Frame: Baseline + 4 weeks
C-reactive protein
Baseline + 4 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Ulster

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
University College Dublin
University College Cork

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
August 1, 2011

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
November 1, 2011

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
November 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 10, 2016

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 10, 2016

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
February 15, 2016

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
February 15, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 10, 2016

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
February 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • REC/11/0080

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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