Bioavailability From Chickpea Meals in Ileostomists?

Bioavailability of Macronutrients and Bioactive Compounds From Chickpea Meals: an Ileostomy Study.

The matrix of a food can significantly affect how well humans can absorb and use nutrients. Plants like fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, and legumes have cell walls that form a network around their cells. These cell walls are a barrier for the digestive system to break down completely, which can make it harder to digest the food and get energy from it. This study will explore how the integrity of plant cell walls affects how well humans can absorb macronutrients (protein, fat and carbohydrates) and beneficial compounds e.g. phytochemicals. The study will compare two chickpea meals that have similar nutrients and energy content but differ in the amount of intact plant cell walls e.g. chickpea salad meal (INTACT diet) and chickpea burger meal (BROKEN diet).

Study Overview

• Status: Enrolling by invitation
• Conditions: Nutrition; Absorption; Polyphenols Absorption Profile; Energy Availability; Polyphenolic Compounds and Metabolism
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Intact chickpeas; Other: Broken chickpeas

Detailed Description

The energy content of food can be in principle calculated by multiplying the content of each energy-yielding substrate by the corresponding heat of combustion. However, only part of this energy yielding substrates is converted to energy because of their incomplete digestion and absorption in the gastrointestinal tract. The structural composition of foods, known as the food matrix, significantly affects nutrient bioavailability. One such structural feature is the integrity of plant tissues characterised by the interconnected, continuous network of cell walls which surround and protect plant cells. When cellular integrity is retained, macronutrients are naturally "encapsulated" within cell walls which effectively reduces the rate and the extent of their digestibility by 6-7% compared to a diet poor in plant-based foods. This study aims to investigate the effect of plant tissue integrity on the total energy excretion of a diet, bioavailability of macronutrients and bioactive compounds, and on plasma levels of glucose, essential amino acids and triglycerides. The investigators will do this by comparing two diets which have (approximately) the same composition in macronutrients and energy but different levels of plant tissues integrity, namely a diet rich in intact plant tissues (INTACT diet), and a diet poor in such intact plant tissues (BROKEN diet). The investigators will use an ileostomy model to be able to determine the difference in energy excretion at the level of the terminal ileum.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 28
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United Kingdom
  • N.Ireland
    • Coleraine, N.Ireland, United Kingdom, BT52 1SA
      • Human Intervention Studies Unit, Ulster University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Previously had an ileostomy
• ≥1.5-years post-operative
• Aged 18-60 years
• Males and females (not currently pregnant/lactating)
• Non-smokers
• Not allergic to nuts and celery

Exclusion Criteria:

• Never had an ileostomy
• <1.5-year post-operative
• Not aged 18-60 years
• Pregnant/lactating female
• Smokers
• Allergic to nuts and celery

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: INTACT meal	Other: Intact chickpeas; Salad meal containing intact chickpeas
Experimental: BROKEN meal	Other: Broken chickpeas; Burger meal containing chickpea flour

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Ileal fluid energy content	Energy content calculated by dry matter (g/100g dry basis)	Change over 8 hours comparison between treatments

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Ileal fluid macronutrient content	Measured by dry matter (g/100g dry basis)	Change over 8 hours comparison between treatments
Ileal fluid alkylresorcinol content	Measured by Mass Spec	Change over 8 hours comparison between treatments
Ileal fluid carotenoid content	Measured by Mass Spec	Change over 8 hours comparison between treatments
Circulating glucose concentration	Blood concentrations of glucose using glucometer	Change over 8 hours comparison between treatments
Urinary phenolic content	Phenolic concentration e.g. hippuric acid in urine	Change over 8 hours comparison between treatments
Circulating insulin, levels	Measured by ELISA in μg/mL.	Change over 8 hours comparison between treatments
Circulating essential amino acid levels	Blood concentrations of amino acids	Change over 8 hours comparison between treatments
Circulating triglyceride levels		Change over 8 hours comparison between treatments
Circulating levels of GLP-1	Measured by ELISA in μg/mL.	Change over 8 hours comparison between treatments
Circulating levels of GIP	Measured by ELISA in μg/mL.	Change over 8 hours comparison between treatments
Circulating levels of ghrelin	Measured by ELISA in μg/mL.	Change over 8 hours comparison between treatments
Circulating levels of CKK	Measured by ELISA in μg/mL.	Change over 8 hours comparison between treatments
Circulating levels of leptin	Measured by ELISA in μg/mL.	Change over 8 hours comparison between treatments
Circulating levels of bioactive peptides	Blood concentrations of legume bioactives	Change over 8 hours comparison between treatments

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Ulster
• Collaborators: Wageningen University and Research

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): April 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 25, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 3, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): April 10, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 10, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 3, 2025
• Last Verified: February 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Macronutrients; Food structure; Chickpeas; Cell walls; Bioactive compounds
• Other Study ID Numbers: REC/24/0083

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No