None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The human digestive tract, especially the gut, is populated by millions of microorganisms including bacteria, and fungi, the so-called microbiome. Many studies have shown that the microbiome is linked to health from digestive disorders, to heart health, or mental health. The microbiome can be modified by your diet, and probiotics are frequently advertised to alter the gut microbiome. One such product is kefir, a probiotic dairy beverage that has been consumed for over 2,000 years. Traditional kefir is produced by taking for example cow’s milk, and adding Kefir ‘grains’ which contain a diverse range of symbiotic bacteria and yeast species. Anecdotal statements in the media continue to link the consumption of Kefir to gut health, despite a lack of scientific evidence to support this. In order to advance the scientific understanding of Kefir, this study aims to examine whether kefir consumption leads to changes in the oral and gut microbiome, i.e. the bacteria living in the digestive tract. It is hypothesised, that kefir will increase the number of beneficial bacteria in the mouth and gut.
Interventions
Commercially available kefir drink based on fermented full-cream cow milk. The kefir has no thickeners/gels and is made with unhomogenised fresh milk from free range pasture fed cows.
Participants take the kefir at home, 200ml per day in total, taken twice daily (100ml in the morning, 100ml in the evening)
The intervention is for 14 days in total, and consumption will be monitored via a diary, in which participants indicate whether they have used the intervention as directed
Sponsors
Southern Cross University
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 45 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Healthy BMI 18.5-29.9
Exclusion criteria
- Acute illness (injury, infection) - Chronic gastrointestinal conditions (inflammatory or functional bowel diseases, celiac disease, food intolerance or allergies (especially milk), lactose intolerance - Use of long-term medication - Use of antimicrobial medication (incl. antibiotics) in the previous 6 months - Regular use of pre-, pro-, or synbiotics in the previous 6 months, specifically natural yogurt, probiotic drinks, or products (at least once weekly) - Consumption of fermented foods for health purpose within the last 2 months, specifically kefir, sauerkraut, kombucha, miso, kimchi (occasional consumption is acceptable) - Diet prescribed for medical purposes - Recent lifestyle changes (including new dietary regimen, or uptake of exercise regimen) - Women currently undergoing menopause, and women who are pregnant, or breastfeeding
Outcome results
None listed