Healthy
Conditions
Keywords
intestinal gas, healthy subjects, microbiota, prebiotic
Brief summary
Some components of the diet are not absorbed in the small intestine and pass into the colon, where they may be fermented by the microbiota, releasing gas. A series of recent studies suggest that some non-absorbable, fermentable meal products (prebiotics) serve as substrate to colonic bacteria and change their composition, thereby producing beneficial effects to the host. These products are fermented by bacteria and at initial intake increase gas production; however, after 7-10 days administration some prebiotics induce an adaptation of intestinal microbiota towards more efficient metabolic pathways with less gas production. Hence, intestinal gas production may serve as an index of microbiota metabolic activity. Gas production may induce gas-related symptoms, such as flatulence, abdominal bloating and distention, and the symptoms improve when the microbiota adapts to the prebiotic and gas production declines. Guar gum is classified as a fiber, but it remains uncertain whether and to what extent it is fermented by colonic microbiota and whether it has prebiotic properties. Aim: to determine the metabolic reaction of intestinal microbiota in response to guar gum consumption, specifically, the extent of initial fermentation and subsequent adaptation.Design: Single-centre, single arm, open label, proof-of-concept study testing the effect of guar gum on microbiota metabolism and adaptation in healthy subjects Intervention: guar gum (8 g/d) will be administered for 18 days. Outcomes: during 4 days immediately before, at the beginning and at the end of the administration phase participants will be put on a standard diet and the following outcomes will be measured: a) number of gas evacuations during daytime for 2 days by means of an event marker; b) perception of digestive sensations by daily scales; c) microbiota composition by fecal analysis; d) metabolites in urine.
Interventions
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTPrebiotic
Guar gum (8 g/d) will be administered for 18 days
Sponsors
Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron Research Institute
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 80 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
\-
Exclusion criteria
* gastrointestinal symptoms * recent (3 months) antibiotic intake * change in dietary habits 4 weeks before
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of daily anal gas evacuations | 18 days | Change in the number of anal gas evacuations measured by an event marker from beginning of treatment to end of treatment |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Microbiota composition by fecal analysis | 18 days | Change from beginning of treatment to end of treatment |
| Sensation of flatulence by scales | 18 days | Sensation of flatulence measured on a 0-10 scale graded from 0 (no flatulence) to 10 (very intense sensation). Change from beginning of treatment to end of treatment |
| Sensation of abdominal bloating by scales | 18 days | Sensation of abdominal bloating measured on a 0-10 scale graded from 0 (no bloating) to 10 (very intense sensation). Change from beginning of treatment to end of treatment. |
| Sensation of digestive well-being by scales | 18 days | Sensation of digestive well-being measured on a -5 to +5 scale graded from -5 (extremely unpleasant sensation) to +5 (extremely pleasant sensation). Change from beginning of treatment to end of treatment. |
Countries
Spain
Outcome results
None listed