What happens to the bacteria in the gut in patients who are receiving tube feeding with additional carbohydrate

Comparing the colonic microbiota, faecal short chain fatty acids and immune status among patients receiving enteral feeding: the effect of additional fructo-oligosaccharides

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN06446184

Enrollment

Registered

2008-01-18

Start date

2008-01-15

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2015-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Enteral tube feeding and fructo-oligosaccharides supplementation Nutritional, Metabolic, Endocrine Enteral Tube Feeding

Interventions

Twenty patients from the ICU who will be starting ETF with the routine fibre formula will be recruited. Ten patients will be randomly assigned to receive an additional 7 g of FOS per day while the oth

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Intensive care unit (ICU) patients 2. Adult patients (both male and female) 3. Exclusive ETF with fibre formula

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Patients receiving lactulose 2. Patients with gastrointestinal disease or gastrointestinal surgery 3. Patients currently receiving chemotherapy or gastrointestinal radiation therapy

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Difference in the colonic microbiota (measured using fluorescent in-situ hybridisation).	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Incidence of diarrhoea (measured using King's Stool Chart) 2. Faecal samples will be analysed for: 2.1. SCFA concentrations 2.2. pH 2.3. C. difficile enterotoxin A/B 2.4. Faecal secretory Immunoglobulin A (IgA)	—

Countries

United Kingdom

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Mar 22, 2026