Recent studies have shown that the bacteria in the gut (gut microbiome) can affect adiposity levels and inflammation. In animal studies, changing these bacteria has been linked with decreased fat mass and inflammation as well as improved metabolism. Probiotics can be a safe method of altering the gut microbiome in humans and have shown promising results in adults with regards to changing adiposity and inflammatory markers. However, it may also be important to provide the right dietary milieu (i.e. high fruit and vegetable/low saturated fat diet) in order to see the benefits of probiotics on these physiologic markers. At this time, no one has offered probiotics in the context of the right dietary milieu and tested it in children. This pilot proposal is innovative because it will be the first to test how well probiotics work in the context of a diet high in fruits and vegetables to change the gut microbiome, decrease fat mass, and improve inflammatory markers in overweight/obese children. This protocol will allow one to better understand the effect of probiotics on these physiologic functions and determine acceptability and feasibility of taking daily probiotics.
The goal is to study the effect of probiotics on changing the gut microbiome of overweight/obese children. Since there appears to be a diet-by-microbiota interaction for optimal effects on adiposity, it will be important to administer the probiotics within the context of increased fruit/vegetable (F/V) intake and decreased fat intake. Because changes in diet alone can also induce changes in the gut microbiota, this study will use a double-blind, randomized, placebo-control design to determine whether changes in gut microbiota are greater with the addition of probiotics (High F/V diet + Probiotics) compared to diet alone (High F/V diet + Placebo). The primary aim is to test the effect of these 2 arms on changing the gut microbiota, fat mass, and inflammation in children. The study will also examine the acceptability of taking probiotics and changes in other physiologic measures. The Specific aims of this proposal are: 1. To examine the effect of diet high in F/V +/- probiotics on change in gut microbiota, adiposity, and inflammation (measured by C-reactive protein, TNF-a, and IL-6); 2. To examine the effect of diet high in F/V +/- probiotics on physiologic measures including blood pressure, fasting insulin and glucose, and adiponectin; 3. To determine the acceptability and feasibility of taking daily probiotics over a 12 week period.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
TRIPLE
Enrollment
45
Subjects received a weekly supply of pills for 12 weeks along with support to change their diet to consume more fruits and vegetables. Subjects met with an interventionist weekly to report on pill consumption, stool changes, and get help with changing their dietary behaviors
Subjects received a weekly supply of pills for 12 weeks along with support to change their diet to consume more fruits and vegetables. Subjects met with an interventionist weekly to report on pill consumption, stool changes, and get help with changing their dietary behaviors
Adiposity
change in total % fat mass as measured by DXA scan measured at baseline (week 0) and study completion (week 12)
Time frame: 12 weeks
hsCRP
high sensitivity C-reactive protein (mg/L) measured at baseline (week 0) and study completion (week 12)
Time frame: 12 weeks
IL-6
Interleukin 6 (pg/ml) measured at baseline (week 0) and study completion (week 12)
Time frame: 12 weeks
TNF-alpha
Tumor necrosis factor alpha (pg/ml) measured at baseline (week 0) and study completion (week 12)
Time frame: 12 weeks
Adiponectin
adiponectin (ug/ml) measured at baseline (week 0) and study completion (week 12)
Time frame: 12 weeks
Acceptability of taking pills
Acceptability of taking pills daily for 12 weeks assessed with 3 separate questions: Did your child take his/her pill daily (1 = not at all, 3 = sometimes, 5 = every day); Did your child have trouble remembering to take his/her pill daily (1 = not at all, easy to remember, 5 = had a lot of trouble remembering); Did your child like taking his/her pill (1 = not at all, 5 = loved it!). Parents were asked to complete these questions at study completion (week 12). The second question will be reverse-scored, and higher scores will indicate better acceptability. Each question will be viewed as separate items, and not combined to create a summary score.
Time frame: week 12
Proportion of participants with side effects
weekly assessment of any side effects reported by participants including nausea, abdominal pain, bloating, or skin reactions
Time frame: 12 weeks
Bristol Stool chart
changes in stooling pattern as assessed by the Bristol Stool Chart, measured at baseline (week 0), weekly during the study (weeks 1-11), and study completion (week 12)
Time frame: 12 weeks
gut microbiome
Changes in the composition and alpha and beta diversity of the gut microbiome using 16SrRNA amplicon sequencing. DNA sequencing will be performed using MiSeq platforms. Samples were obtained at baseline (week 0) and study completion (week 12).
Time frame: 12 weeks
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