Synbiotic Dietary Supplement and Gut Microbiota

Inclusion Criteria: * BMI 19-25 (lean) and BMI 30-35 (obese) * Age 18-45 years old * subjects must be willing to consume oral dietary supplement and placebo daily for a total of 56 days, * willing to complete gastrointestinal (GI) and dietary surveys, body composition assessment, and provide blood, urine and stool sample at 4 intervals during the pilot study (baseline, after first supplementation period (day 28), after washout period (day 49), and after second supplementation period (day 77) Exclusion Criteria: * antibiotic consumption within 28 days of study initiation * diabetes * kidney disorders * history of cardiac disease and medications for cardiac disease * use of statins and antihypertensive drugs * inflammatory bowel disease * irritable bowel syndrome * history of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth * history of intestinal surgery, excluding hernia repair and appendectomy * active cancer diagnosis; chronic acid suppression treatment (proton pump inhibitors, histamine H2 receptor antagonists) * immune modulatory treatments (e.g. chronic immunosuppressive medications, chronic NSAIDs) * abnormal liver or kidney function as measured by routine serum chemistry testing * severe anemia or significant white blood cell or platelet abnormalities * no additional blood or blood product donations during study