The Effects of Kefir on Pediatric Obesity

December 8, 2025 updated by: China Medical University Hospital

Kefir, a traditional fermented dairy product in the North Caucasus region, is produced through the fermentation of milk by lactic acid bacteria and yeast. In murine studies, it has been observed that consumption of kefir by obese mice resulted in significantly reduced body weight compared to non-kefir-consuming obese mice. Furthermore, insulin resistance and fatty liver conditions showed improvement in the kefir-fed obese mice. Kefir was found to have its effects on obesity-related conditions through the inhibition of lipid synthesis, stimulation of fatty acid oxidation, elevation of basal metabolic rate, and modulation of oxidative damage.

Obesity has emerged as a global epidemic, and its prevalence in pediatric population is rapidly increasing. Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) above the 95th percentile for the age. According to statistics from the Health Promotion Administration in Taiwan, the prevalence of obesity among elementary and junior high school students in 2021 was 27.1% and 31.2%, respectively. This implies that approximately one out of every three to four students is obese. Insulin resistance and fatty liver are two common manifestations of childhood obesity. Insulin resistance is found closely linked to type 2 diabetes. Prolonged and chronic fatty liver can progress to cirrhosis and even hepatocellular carcinoma. Effective management of obesity holds the occurrence of these diseases. The objective of this study is to analyze the potential benefits of incorporating kefir into the diet of obese children regarding the improvement of obesity-related outcomes.

Study Overview

Status

Enrolling by invitation

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

60

Phase

  • 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

  • Taiwan
      • Taichung, Taiwan, 404
        • China Medical University Children's Hospital

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • body weight above 40 kilograms, body mass index (BMI)-for-age above the 95th percentile

Exclusion Criteria:

  • diabetes mellitus, liver diseases other than non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, cardiovascular diseases other than hypertension and dyslipidemia, renal diseases, neurologic diseases, growth hormone deficiency, thyroid diseases, adrenal disorders, any use of medication for more than 6 months before or during this study, and any adverse responses to dairy products.

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Kefir
Daily oral kefir peptide (KEFPEP®) intake, dosage: 1.2 gram per day for 12 weeks
Dietary supplement: Kefir peptide
Dosage: 1.2 gram kefir peptide daily oral intake for 12 weeks
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Daily oral glucose powder intake, dosage: 805mg per day for 12 weeks
Dietary supplement: Placebo
Glucose powder

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
BMI
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 weeks
BMI
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

China Medical University Hospital

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)

July 6, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 8, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 8, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

July 15, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

December 10, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 8, 2025

Last Verified

December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • CMUH112-REC2-145

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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