- ICH GCP
- US Clinical Trials Registry
- Clinical Trial NCT05212545
Effects of Prebiotics on Intestinal Colonization and Mood in a University Cohort
Randomised Double-blind 4-arm Parallel, Placebo-controlled Trial Investigating the Effects of Prebiotics Alone or in a Combination on Intestinal Colonization and Ability to Influence Mood in a University Cohort
Study Overview
Status
Conditions
Detailed Description
Several reports have suggested that poor mental health among university students is on the increase. Factors driving this; including academic pressure, overdemanding workloads, financial concerns, and peer pressure; can adversely affect academic performance and self-worth. Thus, there is an increasing need to develop new strategies to help tackle these modalities while also reducing the burden on the health system.
In recent years there has been increasing interest in the bi-directional relationship that exists between the gut and the brain, a term coined the gut-brain axis, and it is suggested to play a role in influencing mood via chemical messengers.
As diet is key manipulator of the gut microbiota one way to influence the composition of the gut is via diet and the use of functional foods including prebiotic oligosaccharides.
The idea that functional foods like prebiotics may help to affect mood holds particular appeal due to them being relatively free of side effects, cheap, readily accessible and possessing additional health benefits including improving bowel transit function and improving satiety amongst others. Yet, to date previous research on the potential for prebiotics has produced mixed results due to differences in the populations tested, doses and types of prebiotics used, and means of assessing changes in mood suggesting further work in this area would be highly beneficial.
Therefore, this present study aims to address the question "can manipulation of the gut microbiota using prebiotic oligosaccharides alone or in combination influence mental state in a taught university student population?".
Study Type
Enrollment (Actual)
Phase
- Not Applicable
Contacts and Locations
Study Locations
-
-
-
Reading, United Kingdom, RG6 6DZ
- University of Reading
-
-
Participation Criteria
Eligibility Criteria
Ages Eligible for Study
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Genders Eligible for Study
Description
Inclusion Criteria:
- Volunteer is healthy at the time of pre-examination
- Possess mild/moderately elevated levels of stress
- Volunteer is aged ≥ 18 to ≤ 45 years at the time of pre-examination
- Volunteer's BMI is ≥ 18.5 and ≤ 29.9
- Volunteer has a stool frequency of at least 3 bowel movements per week
- Volunteer is able and willing to comply with the study instructions
- Volunteer is suitable for participation in the study according to the investigator/study personnel
- Written informed consent is given by volunteer
Exclusion Criteria:
- No command of any local language
- Previously or currently diagnosed neurological or psychiatric disorders
- Previous history of renal, hepatic, cardiovascular disease or clinically significant diabetes
- Gastrointestinal disorders including IBS, IBD or other conditions that might affect the gut environment
- Food allergies or intolerances
- Using drugs (e.g. antibiotics, aspirin, proton pump inhibitors) influencing gastrointestinal function (8 weeks before intervention)
- Use of laxatives and labelled pre-and probiotics in the previous 4 weeks before the beginning of intervention
- Volunteers currently involved or will be involved in another clinical or food study
- History of drug (recreational) or alcohol abuse.
- Use of anti-depressants medication including selective serotonin receptor inhibitors or Amitriptyline for 3 months prior to commencing the trial
- Received bowel preparation for investigative procedures in the 4 weeks prior to the study
- Undergone surgical resection of any part of the bowel.
- pregnant or lactating
Study Plan
How is the study designed?
Design Details
- Primary Purpose: Prevention
- Allocation: Randomized
- Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
- Masking: Quadruple
Arms and Interventions
Participant Group / Arm |
Intervention / Treatment |
---|---|
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
10 g maltodextrin per day
|
maltodextrin taken daily for 4 weeks with water
|
Experimental: Prebiotic Supplement
10 g Prebiotic supplement + maltodextrin per day
|
Prebiotic supplement taken daily for 4 weeks with water
|
Experimental: Prebiotic combination
10 g prebiotic supplement+ prebiotic oligosaccharide per day
|
prebiotic oligosaccharides mixture taken daily for 4 weeks with water
|
Experimental: prebiotic oligosaccharide
10 g maltodextrin + prebiotic oligosaccharide per day
|
Prebiotic oligosaccharides taken daily for 4 weeks with water
|
What is the study measuring?
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
---|---|---|
Bifidobacterium spp in stool samples
Time Frame: 4 weeks
|
Bifidobacterium spp.
will be assessed in stool samples by molecular biological methods
|
4 weeks
|
Anxiety with State-Trait Anxiety Inventory questionnaire
Time Frame: 4 weeks
|
Anxiety will be assessed with anxiety questionnaire at baseline and at the end of intervention
|
4 weeks
|
Depression with Beck's Depression Inventory questionnaire
Time Frame: 4 weeks
|
Depression will be assessed with depression questionnaire at baseline and at the end of intervention
|
4 weeks
|
Salivary IgA
Time Frame: 4 weeks
|
Salivary IgA will be assessed by ELISA at baseline and at the end of intervention
|
4 weeks
|
Secondary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
---|---|---|
Total bacteria in stool samples
Time Frame: 4 weeks
|
Total bacteria will be assessed in stool samples by molecular biological methods
|
4 weeks
|
Changes in microbiota composition
Time Frame: 4 weeks
|
Microbiota composition at baseline and end will be assessed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing
|
4 weeks
|
Stool frequency
Time Frame: 5 weeks
|
Stool frequency will be assessed as effective number of bowel movements in a daily diary during baseline and intervention periods
|
5 weeks
|
Stool consistency according to Bristol Stool Form Scale
Time Frame: 5 weeks
|
Stool consistency will be assessed in a daily diary during baseline and intervention periods
|
5 weeks
|
Urinary Metabolites (organic compounds) concentration
Time Frame: 4 weeks
|
Urinary Metabolites concentration will be assessed at baseline and end with NMR
|
4 weeks
|
Gastrointestinal sensations (bloating)
Time Frame: 5 weeks
|
Gastrointestinal sensations (bloating) will be assessed in a daily diary during baseline and intervention periods on a 4-point Likert scale (higher scores indicate higher sensation)
|
5 weeks
|
Gastrointestinal sensations (flatulence)
Time Frame: 5 weeks
|
Gastrointestinal sensations (flatulence) will be assessed in a daily diary during baseline and intervention periods on a 4-point Likert scale (higher scores indicate higher sensation)
|
5 weeks
|
Gastrointestinal sensations (abdominal pain)
Time Frame: 5 weeks
|
Gastrointestinal sensations (abdominal pain) will be assessed in a daily diary during baseline and intervention periods on a 4-point Likert scale (higher scores indicate higher sensation)
|
5 weeks
|
Gastrointestinal sensations (fullness)
Time Frame: 5 weeks
|
Gastrointestinal sensations (fullness) will be assessed in a daily diary during baseline and intervention periods on a 4-point Likert scale (higher scores indicate higher sensation)
|
5 weeks
|
Sleep quality via The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index
Time Frame: 4 weeks
|
Sleep quality will be assessed at baseline and end with The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaire
|
4 weeks
|
Collaborators and Investigators
Sponsor
Collaborators
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Robert A Rastall, Prof, University of Reading
Study record dates
Study Major Dates
Study Start (Actual)
Primary Completion (Actual)
Study Completion (Actual)
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
First Posted (Actual)
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (Actual)
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
Last Verified
More Information
Terms related to this study
Other Study ID Numbers
- 21017m-jhr
Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)
Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?
Drug and device information, study documents
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product
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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