Multi-Omic Profiling of a Zinc-Biofortified Maize Intervention in Guatemalan Mothers and Children

May 20, 2026 updated by: Manolo Mazariegos, Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama

Crop-Derived Bioactive Compounds for Improved Gut Health and Nutrition

A trial evaluating the systemic and ecological impact of zinc-biofortified maize consumption on cellular zinc status, inflammatory biomarkers, and gut microbiota composition in a cohort of Guatemalan mothers and children.

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.

Detailed Description

This is a pilot study conducted among a subset of participants in a larger food aid intervention program using biofortified maize (N=499). This analysis focuses on a highly compliant cohort of 30 households (N=60 individuals) providing high-fidelity multi-omic data.

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.
60

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

  • Guatemala
    • Departamento de Guatemala
      • Guatemala City, Departamento de Guatemala, Guatemala, 01011
        • Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP)

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

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Household Inclusion Criteria:

  • Reside in the target area (Chiquimula Department, Guatemala);
  • Participating in the World Vision (WV) nutrition program;
  • Families accustomed to consuming maize;
  • Interest to participate in an informative session;
  • Presence of at least one woman of reproductive age (18-49 years) and one index child (12-59 months);
  • Access to a mobile phone; (7) No concurrent participation in other nutrition or food aid programs.

Household exclusion Criteria:

  • Women with problems understanding the study informed consent and the study survey;
  • Women with any acute or chronic disease that affected dietary intake or nutritional status;
  • Children with acute malnutrition 4.Children with any acute or chronic disease that affected dietary consumption or nutritional status;
  • Households that failed to adhere to the study protocol during the previous intervention period (e.g., sold the study maize or diverted it for animal feed).

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: Prevention
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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.
Experimental: F3 Biofortified Maize
16 households (mothers and children) received zinc-biofortified maize seed (F3) for planting and maize consumption as part of their daily diet (Phase I). Due to implementation challenges (harvest failure due to drougth), the intervention was changed to delivery to zinc-biofortified maize grain for consumption (Phase II).
Other: F3 Biofortified Maize
Daily consumption of zinc-biofortified maize (F3) for up to 10 months.
Active Comparator: Conventional Maize (Control)
14 households (mothers and children) planted regular maize (Phase I). Due to implementation challenges (harvest failure due to drougth), the intervention was changed to delivery of regular maize grain for consumption (Phase II).
Other: Conventional Maize
Daily consumption of conventional maize for the duration of the study.

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
Cellular Zinc Status (LA:DGLA Ratio)
Time Frame: Up to 10 months (Sept 2022 (baseline) thru August 2023 (final assessment))
Physiological zinc status measured via red blood cell (RBC) long-chain fatty acid analysis, specifically the linoleic acid to dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (LA:DGLA) ratio
Up to 10 months (Sept 2022 (baseline) thru August 2023 (final assessment))

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
Iron Status
Time Frame: Up to 10 months (September 2022 (baseline) thru August 2023 (final assessment))
Hemoglobin and Serum Ferritin levels (adjusted and unadjusted for inflammation)
Up to 10 months (September 2022 (baseline) thru August 2023 (final assessment))
Systemic Inflammation
Time Frame: Up to 10 months (September 2022 (baseline) thru August 2023 (final assessment))
Measured via high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP)
Up to 10 months (September 2022 (baseline) thru August 2023 (final assessment))
Gut Microbiota
Time Frame: Up to 10 months (September 2022 (baseline) thru August 2023 (final assessment))
Characterization of fecal microbiota using 16S rRNA sequencing
Up to 10 months (September 2022 (baseline) thru August 2023 (final assessment))
Fecal Calprotectin
Time Frame: Up to 10 months (September 2022 (baseline) thru August 2023 (final assessment))
Measurement of fecal calprotectin as a marker of intestinal inflammation.
Up to 10 months (September 2022 (baseline) thru August 2023 (final assessment))
Fecal Fatty Acid Profiles
Time Frame: Up to 10 months (September 2022 (baseline) thru August 2023 (final assessment))
Quantification of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and branched-chain fatty acids (BCFA) in stool samples.
Up to 10 months (September 2022 (baseline) thru August 2023 (final assessment))
Nutritional Biomarkers
Time Frame: Up to 10 months (September 2022 (baseline) thru August 2023 (final assessment))
Serum Vitamin B12 and Serum Albumin levels.
Up to 10 months (September 2022 (baseline) thru August 2023 (final assessment))

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.
Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Elad Tako, PhD, Cornell University
  • Principal Investigator: Manolo Mazariegos, Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama

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 (Actual)

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.
March 1, 2022

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.
August 31, 2023

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.
August 31, 2023

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).
May 7, 2026

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.
May 7, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

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.
May 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

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.
May 22, 2026

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.
May 20, 2026

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.
May 1, 2026

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.
  • 2108010502
  • CIE-REV 115-2022 (Other Identifier: INCAP Ethics Committee)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified individual participant data that underlie the results reported in this article (including microbiome sequencing metadata and nutritional biomarkers) will be made available to researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Beginning 6 months and ending 5 years following article publication.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Data will be available upon request to the corresponding author (Prof. Elad Tako) to ensure the proposed use is consistent with the original informed consent and ethical approvals.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF
  • ANALYTIC_CODE
  • CSR

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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