None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Acetate is a type of short-chain fatty acid that is normally present in the blood. In animal studies, increasing the level of acetate in the blood is associated with reduction of inflammatory processes in the body. The purpose this research project is twofold. 1. We wish to investigate how to increase acetate levels in the blood by comparing diets that have different levels of fibre. Fibre taken in the diet as dietary fibre is converted to small metabolites that include acetate by bacteria found in the lower part of the gut (colon) and this acetate finds its way into the blood stream. 2. We wish to determine if increasing the acetate levels in the blood does change immune cells and key enzyme activities in the blood that may reduce inflammation, just as it does in experimental animals. This study will help us to understand if dietary fibre can be used to reduce inflammation in conditions such as asthma or allergy in the future. In order to investigate this, we are asking for healthy volunteers to participate in a dietary intervention study that will involve consuming a diet with varying fibre level and having blood taken at the end of each diet (Morning of Day 5).. This research has been initiated by Dr. Jane Muir, a dietitian and Head of Translational Research at the Department of Gastroenterology. The results of this project will be used by Mr. Paul Gill as part of his Bachelor of Biomedical science honours degree.
Interventions
The study has a cross-over design in which participants are randomised to complete a intervention diet and control diet in random order. The intervention diet is a 5-day high-fibre dietary intervention provided in the form of meals to study participants. Participants are provided with 3 main meals day (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and 2 snack items a day (morning tea, afternoon tea). Participants may also eat other foods outside of the provided diet but are given a list of recommended snack foods t
The study has a cross-over design in which participants are randomised to complete a intervention diet and control diet in random order. The intervention diet is a 5-day high-fibre dietary intervention provided in the form of meals to study participants. Participants are provided with 3 main meals day (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and 2 snack items a day (morning tea, afternoon tea). Participants may also eat other foods outside of the provided diet but are given a list of recommended snack foods to help them follow the intervention diet as best as possible. Meals have been developed with a dietitian to ensure they are nutritionally balanced and are cooked by a research chef in a commercial grade kitchen. Meals are portioned, vacuum-sealed and then provided to participants frozen. Participants are given study food diaries to follow and to help assess compliance. The average amount of energy provided by the study meals/snacks is 9277 kj/day. The average amount of total fibre is 39 g/day all of which is naturally contained in the foods provided. These are mainly in the form of resistant starch (7 g/day) and fermentable oligosaccharides (7 g/day). Meals for the high fibre diet high in legumes, wholegrains, fruits and vegetables. Example foods include Rye bread, wholegrain cereals (wheat bran), brown rice, split peas, pear and cannellini beans. These figures have been calculated through the use of food composition software (Foodworks). Once completed, there is a 5-day wash-out period between the diets.
Sponsors
Monash University
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Primary purpose
Treatment
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Healthy adults
Exclusion criteria
Inflammatory conditions (i.e asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, allergy) Recent bacterial or viral infection (<4 weeks) Current or recent (<4 weeks) use of probiotics, antibiotics or medications that potentially alter normal gut function Pregnancy or current breastfeeding Special dietary requirements (i.e. allergy, vegetarian, vegan)
Outcome results
None listed