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The Associations Between Gut Length, Gut Microbiota and Food Assimilation

Associations Between Gut Length, Gut Microbiota and Food Assimilation Efficiency of Healthy Individuals

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06377956
Enrollment
42
Registered
2024-04-22
Start date
2024-05-15
Completion date
2025-06-30
Last updated
2026-01-22

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

Conditions

Food Preferences, Healthy Nutrition, Metabolic Syndrome, Protection Against

Keywords

Metabolism, Microbiome/microbiota, Body composition, Food intake, Food preference

Brief summary

The purpose of this observational study is to explore the relationships between gut length, the microbiota and food energy assimilation rates in humans.

Detailed description

The focus of this work is to characterize the relationship between gut length, gut microbiota and food energy assimilation rate in healthy individuals. The gut will be scanned using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to calculate gut length. To obtain clearer images, volunteers will be asked to drink 1/1.5 sachet of He Shuang (polyethylene glycol electrolyte powder, molecular weight of 4000) and injected Raceanisodamine Hydrochloride Injection with 10 mg by intramuscular. Volunteers will be asked to drink He Shuang, which dissolved in 1/1.5L of water for the purpose of filling the intestines. As a contrast to improve imaging during scanning. Volunteers will be given the experimental meal, which providing enough energy for volunteers to eat as much as they want. Feces and urine will be collected to calculate the assimilation rate. To more accurately label the food, edible polyethylene glycol with a molecular weight of 3350(PEG3350) is used. Provides 1.5g of PEG3350 per day, to be used with meals. PEG3350 reaches a steady state in the intestinal tract for 3 days. Food will be provided for seven days during the test period, the first three days are aimed at stabilizing the PEG3350 in the intestine, and the samples to be counted are mainly collected in the last four days. Food assimilation rate and metabolizable energy will be calculated for the 4-day. The gut microbiota will be analyzed by metagenomics and metabolomics. This study combines metabolomics analysis techniques with imaging and physiological measurements to focus on the potential relationship between gut length and food absorption rates. Researchers anticipate recruiting up to 100 healthy volunteers (body mass index ≥ 18.5).

Interventions

Observation of gut length, food intake, fecal and urine calories, body composition, microbiota, metabolic rate, metabolomics.

Sponsors

Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology ,Chinese Academy of Sciences
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 40 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Age between 18-40 years old, healthy and disease free. * Regular bowel movements.

Exclusion criteria

* Individuals who are constipated or suffer from intestinal disorders; * Individuals with mental illnesses such as depression and claustrophobia; * Individuals with glaucoma and prostate hypertrophy; * Metal implants in the body; * Pregnant and lactating women; * Individuals with blood phobia, pathologic hypotension or hypertension; * Use of antibiotics, probiotics, oral laxatives within 8 weeks; * Individuals with metabolic diseases (e.g., chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus); recent weight loss due to various medical reasons; * Individuals with infectious diseases (e.g. HIV); * Irregular diet, lifestyle, addiction to tobacco, alcohol or drugs.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Gut lengthThrough study completion for one year, will be measured on arrival.Volunteers will be scanned Magnetic Resonance Imaging(Shanghai united imaging, uMR 790).
Energy intakeThrough study completion for one year, will be measured on arrival.Response on standard feeding table, the food consumption will be recorded continuously by balances underneath each food dish. The total energy intake will be calculated in KJ (kilojoule).
Fecal energyThrough study completion for one year, will be measured on arrivalMeasuring the heat produced by burning dried feces using an oxygen bomb calorimeter (Parr6400). The total energy per gram tissue will be calculated in kJ (kilojoule)/g.
Microbiome/MicrobiotaThrough study completion for one year, will be measured on arrival.Abundance of gut microbiome will be from Metagenomic profiling of feces by Illumina.
MetabolitesThrough study completion for one year, will be measured on arrival.Abundance of metabolites will be from metabolomic profiling of feces by LC-MS (liquid chromatography mass spectrometry).

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Urine energy contentThrough study completion for one year, will be measured on arrival.Energy content will be evaluated by measuring the heat energy produced when burning dried urine using an oxygen bomb calorimeter (Parr6400). The total energy per gram tissue will be calculated in kJ (kilojoule)/g.
Body weightThrough study completion for one year, will be measured on arrival.Volunteers will be asked to fast for 10 hours and measured fasting weight.
Waist circumferencesThrough study completion for one year, will be measured on arrival.Waist circumferences will be measured using a whole body laser scanner(TG2000-F).
HeightThrough study completion for one year, will be measured on arrival.Height will be measured by seca 217 stable stadiometer.
Bone massThrough study completion for one year, will be measured on arrival.Bone mass will be measured by Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (Horizon Wi).
Hip circumferencesThrough study completion for one year, will be measured on arrival.Hip circumferences will be measured using a whole body laser scanner(TG2000-F).
Fat free massThrough study completion for one year, will be measured on arrival.Fat free mass will be measured by Bioimpedance Analysis (Tanita, MC-980) and BOD POD(COS MED,BOD POD 2020).
Heart rateThrough study completion for one year, will be measured on arrival.Heart rate will be measured using an Omron sphygmomanometer.
Resting energy expenditureThrough study completion for one year, will be measured on arrival.The measurement of resting energy expenditure will be performed using indirect calorimetry(Whole room calorimetry) for 24h.
Thermic effect of foodThrough study completion for one year, will be measured on arrival.The measurement of resting energy expenditure will be performed using indirect calorimetry(Whole room calorimetry) for 24h.
Body shapeThrough study completion for one year, will be measured on arrival.Body shape will be measured using a whole body laser scanner(TG2000-F)
Fat massThrough study completion for one year, will be measured on arrival.Fat mass will be measured by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (Shanghai united imaging, uMR 790 ) and BOD POD(COS MED,BOD POD 2020).
Blood pressureThrough study completion for one year, will be measured on arrival.Systolic and diastolic blood pressure will be measured using an Omron sphygmomanometer.
Total daily water volumeThrough study completion for one year, will be measured on arrival.Calculate the total amount of water to be consumed in a day by providing water cups with a graduated scale.
Physical activityThrough study completion for one year, will be measured on arrival.Physical activity of the participants will be recorded using GT3X accelerometer worn near the hip for a consecutive period of 7 days. The monitor should not be worn while bathing or swimming. The first day is discarded along with any day where the wear time is less than 12 hours. For a valid measure the goal is to get 2 weekday and 2 weekend days.
Bristol Stool ScaleThrough study completion for one year, will be measured on arrival.Scoring of stool forms according to the Bristol Stool Scale, whice classified according to faecal characteristics. It has seven types. Types 1 and 2 indicate the presence of constipation, types 3 and 4 are ideal stool shapes, and types 5 to 7 represent possible diarrhoea.
Total daily urine volumeThrough study completion for one year, will be measured on arrival.Collect the urine sample within a day in a graduated container.
Gut transit timeThrough study completion for one year, will be measured on arrival.Recording the time of intake of food-grade blue pigment and the time of excretion
Food macronutrient contentThrough study completion for one year, will be measured on arrival.Detection of carbohydrates, proteins and fats in food by chemical analysis.
Feces macronutrient contentThrough study completion for one year, will be measured on arrival.Detection of carbohydrates, proteins and fats in feces by chemical analysis.

Countries

China

Contacts

STUDY_CHAIRJohn R Speakman, PhD

Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology ,Chinese Academy of Sciences

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026