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CompletedNCT03407794Updated Jan 11, 2023Results posted

Effects of Fermented Vegetables on Gut Microflora and Inflammation in Women

An interventional study of Fermented vegetable and Non-fermented vegetable in Inflammation, Women's Health and Gastrointestinal Microbiome, sponsored by University of North Florida. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to female participants aged 18 Years to 70 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2023-01-11.

Sponsored by University of North Florida · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
34
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 70 Years
Sex
Female
01

Study summary

This proposal will examine whether daily consumption of fermented vegetables for 6 weeks can impact the gut microflora and markers of inflammation of women between the ages of 18-70 years.

Read the detailed description

Interested participants will be invited to an orientation where study procedures will be explained in detail. Once the consent form is signed participants will schedule a visit to provide blood, urine and stool samples at the beginning of the intervention at which point they will be randomized into one of three groups: a fermented vegetable group (1/2 cup per day for 6 weeks), a non-fermented vegetable group (1/2 cup per day for 6 weeks) and a control group (usual diet). Both vegetable groups will receive weekly deliveries of the vegetables to be consumed. Following 6 weeks, participants will provide blood, urine and stool samples one more time. Participants will also fill out questionnaires related to dietary intake, demographics, physical activity, prescription medication use and gastrointestinal function. Compliance will be monitored weekly via a gastrointestinal function log where participants will be asked to enter whether they consumed or not the vegetable provided each day, as well as any side effects of consumption.

02

Conditions studied

  • Inflammation
  • Women's Health
  • Gastrointestinal Microbiome

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03

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 70 Years
Sexes eligible
Female
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

  • BMI: 18.5-40 kg/m2
  • Non-smoker
  • No previous diagnosis of cancer
  • No thyroid disease
  • No diabetes
  • Willing to consume 1/2 cup of vegetables daily for 6 weeks
  • No use of psychotic or depression medication
  • No medication to lose weight
  • Not on a weight loss diet
  • No use of antibiotics over the past 3 months
  • No consumption of fermented vegetables on a regular basis
  • No history of autoimmune disease, including gastrointestinal disease

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • BMI \<18.5 or >40 kg/m2
  • Smoker
  • Taking medications that affect appetite or body weight
  • Uncontrolled Hypertension
  • Diabetes
  • Not willing to consume 1/2 cup of vegetables daily for 6 weeks
  • Willing to show up at two appointments
  • Following a fad diet
  • Using antibiotics frequently
  • Diagnosed with autoimmune disease, like psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid disease, colitis
  • Regular consumption of fermented vegetables
04

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Double (Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
34 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • No intervention
    Control

    Participants randomized into the control group will be asked to follow their usual diet during the 6 weeks of the intervention.

  • Experimental
    Fermented vegetable

    Participants randomized into the fermented vegetable group will receive 1/2 cup per day of fermented vegetables, including cabbage, carrots or pickles, for 6 weeks.

    Other: Fermented vegetable

  • Active comparator
    Non-fermented vegetable

    Participants randomized into the non-fermented vegetable group will receive 1/2 cup per day of non-fermented vegetables, including cabbage, carrots or pickles, for 6 weeks.

    Other: Non-fermented vegetable

Interventions

  • OtherFermented vegetable

    The intervention is to consume 1/2 cup fermented vegetables every day for 6 weeks

  • OtherNon-fermented vegetable

    The intervention is to consume 1/2 cup of non-fermented vegetables every day for 6 weeks

05

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. C-reactive Protein

    Marker of systemic inflammation: serum CRP

    Time frame: 6 weeks

  2. Shannon Index

    The Shannon Index is a measure of diversity of microbial species that takes into account both abundance (the number of species present) and evenness (how close the numbers for each species are). The Shannon index can be calculated using the following equation: H= -∑(i=1)\^s pi ln(pi). A value of zero for H indicates that a community has only one species. The higher the value of H, the higher the diversity of species in a particular community.

    Time frame: 6 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. BMI

    Measured using a multifrequency bioimpedance scale

    Time frame: 6 weeks

  2. Body Fat Percentage

    Measured using a multifrequency bioimpedance scale

    Time frame: 6 weeks

  3. Systolic Blood Pressure

    Measured using an electronic blood pressure cuff

    Time frame: 6 weeks

  4. Lipopolysaccharide

    Marker of inflammation in serum

    Time frame: 6 weeks

06

Results

Posted Jan 11, 2023
Limitations and caveats
This was a small pilot and feasibility study. There were few subjects in each group.

Participant flow

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestoneControlFermented VegetableNon-fermented Vegetable
Started101113
Completed101011
Not completed012

Outcome measures

PrimaryC-reactive Protein

Marker of systemic inflammation: serum CRP

Time frame:
6 weeks
Reported as:
Median · ng/mL
C-reactive Protein
ng/mLControlFermented VegetableNon-fermented Vegetable
C-reactive Protein160.7 (0 to 746)173.4 (0 to 375)211.4 (0 to 228)
PrimaryShannon Index

The Shannon Index is a measure of diversity of microbial species that takes into account both abundance (the number of species present) and evenness (how close the numbers for each species are). The Shannon index can be calculated using the following equation: H= -∑(i=1)\^s pi ln(pi). A value of zero for H indicates that a community has only one species. The higher the value of H, the higher the diversity of species in a particular community.

Time frame:
6 weeks
Reported as:
Median · Shannon index
Shannon Index
Shannon indexControlFermented VegetableNon-fermented Vegetable
Shannon Index3.14 (3.0 to 3.5)3.34 (3.3 to 3.7)3.38 (3.2 to 3.58)
SecondaryBMI

Measured using a multifrequency bioimpedance scale

Time frame:
6 weeks
Reported as:
Median · kg/m2
BMI
kg/m2ControlFermented VegetableNon-fermented Vegetable
BMI22.8 (22 to 28)23.3 (22 to 28)26.7 (22.5 to 27.2)
SecondaryBody Fat Percentage

Measured using a multifrequency bioimpedance scale

Time frame:
6 weeks
Reported as:
Median · % body fat
Body Fat Percentage
% body fatControlFermented VegetableNon-fermented Vegetable
Body Fat Percentage31.1 (25 to 35.5)31.4 (22 to 41)36.8 (34.8 to 39.5)
SecondarySystolic Blood Pressure

Measured using an electronic blood pressure cuff

Time frame:
6 weeks
Reported as:
Median · mmHg
Systolic Blood Pressure
mmHgControlFermented VegetableNon-fermented Vegetable
Systolic Blood Pressure104 (89 to 111)121 (108 to 122)107 (104 to 121)
SecondaryLipopolysaccharide

Marker of inflammation in serum

Time frame:
6 weeks
Reported as:
Median · micrograms/mL
Lipopolysaccharide
micrograms/mLControlFermented VegetableNon-fermented Vegetable
Lipopolysaccharide12.7 (8.1 to 14.9)12.7 (10.5 to 16.5)13 (11 to 15.5)

Adverse events

Collected over 6 weeks. Non-serious events are listed at a 5% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
Control0/10 (0%)0/10 (0%)3/10 (30%)
Fermented Vegetable0/10 (0%)0/10 (0%)6/10 (60%)
Non-fermented Vegetable0/11 (0%)0/11 (0%)9/11 (81.8%)
Most frequent other events
Most frequent other events
EventControlFermented VegetableNon-fermented Vegetable
BloatingGastrointestinal disorders0/105/106/11
DiarrheaGastrointestinal disorders1/100/101/11
Nausea/VomitingGastrointestinal disorders1/100/101/11
Abdominal PailGastrointestinal disorders1/101/100/11
HeadacheGeneral disorders0/100/101/11

Baseline characteristics

Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(years)ControlFermented VegetableNon-fermented VegetableTotal
Median27.5 (21 to 50)37 (19 to 63)44 (18 to 69)37 (18 to 69)
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)ControlFermented VegetableNon-fermented VegetableTotal
Female10111334
Male0000
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)(Participants)ControlFermented VegetableNon-fermented VegetableTotal
Hispanic or Latino2114
Not Hispanic or Latino891229
Unknown or Not Reported0101
Race (NIH/OMB)
Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants)ControlFermented VegetableNon-fermented VegetableTotal
American Indian or Alaska Native0000
Asian1001
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander0000
Black or African American1225
White681024
More than one race2114
Unknown or Not Reported0000
Region of Enrollment
Region of Enrollment(participants)ControlFermented VegetableNon-fermented VegetableTotal
United States10111334
Education: Some college, College degree, Graduate degree
Education: Some college, College degree, Graduate degree(Participants)ControlFermented VegetableNon-fermented VegetableTotal
Some College2316
College Degree53614
Graduate Degree35614
07

Study locations

1 site
  • University of North Florida
    Jacksonville, Florida 32224, United States
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Kim EK, An SY, Lee MS, Kim TH, Lee HK, Hwang WS, Choe SJ, Kim TY, Han SJ, Kim HJ, Kim DJ, Lee KW. Fermented kimchi reduces body weight and improves metabolic parameters in overweight and obese patients. Nutr Res. 2011 Jun;31(6):436-43. doi: 10.1016/j.nutres.2011.05.011. PubMed 21745625 ↗
  • Han K, Bose S, Wang JH, Kim BS, Kim MJ, Kim EJ, Kim H. Contrasting effects of fresh and fermented kimchi consumption on gut microbiota composition and gene expression related to metabolic syndrome in obese Korean women. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2015 May;59(5):1004-8. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201400780. Epub 2015 Mar 23. PubMed 25688926 ↗

Study documents

  • Protocol and statistical analysis plan · Jul 5, 2019
  • Informed consent form · Jul 5, 2019

Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No — There is no plan at the moment.

09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03407794
Lead sponsor
University of North Florida
Collaborators
University of Arkansas
Responsible party
Andrea Arikawa (Assistant Professor, University of North Florida) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jan 23, 2018
Start date
Jan 7, 2018
Primary completion
Aug 31, 2020
Completion
Apr 16, 2021
Results posted
Jan 11, 2023
Last update
Jan 11, 2023

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Nov 2022. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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