Food Additives - Do Processed Diets Impact on Gut and Metabolic Health

University of Aberdeen20 enrolled

Overview

This dietary intervention study will assess the effect in healthy human volunteers of an E number which is a food additive and commonly used and consumed emulsifier, on gut function, gut inflammation and glucose metabolism. We will be using a powdered soy lecithin product in the food to compare a diet with and without this ingredient.

A dietary intervention study to investigate the effect, in healthy human volunteers, of dietary lecithin (soy lecithin), a commonly used/consumed emulsifier, on markers of gut function particularly bacterial translocation (assessed by measure of venous blood bacterial DNA, circulating lipopolysaccharide \[LPS\] binding protein and soluble CD14), gut inflammation (assessed by measurement of faecal calprotectin), gut microbiota activity/composition (faecal short-chain fatty acid \[SCFA\] profile and bacterial diversity \[16S ribosomal RNA genes\]) and glucose metabolism (measured by oral glucose tolerance test \[OGGT\], plasma fasted lipids and insulin).

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Gut Health Metabolic Health

Interventions

Soya lecithinDIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

The lecithin supplement will be soya lecithin granules given as 7.5 g twice daily, incorporated into juices

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: • BMI ranging from 27-40 kg/m2 Exclusion Criteria: * Antibiotic use within the past 3 months (due to impact on gut microbiota) * Current Statin use * Current Aspirin use * Chronic inflammatory disorders (including rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease) * Food allergies or self-reported food sensitivity or intolerance * Diagnosis of diabetes * Pregnant or breastfeeding * Unsuitable veins for blood sampling * Inability to speak, read and understand English * Unable to comply to alcohol-free diet for 5 weeks * Consumption of nutrition supplements * Soy allergy or intolerance.

Locations (1)

The Rowett Institute

Aberdeen, United Kingdom

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Change in bacterial translocation

Assessment of change in bacterial translocation by venous blood bacterial DNA measured as responding to pre and post dietary treatment as gene copy number per ml but using more validated universal qPCR primer sets (including total bacteria, phyla- and class-specific primers)