ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT04887662Updated Jan 22, 2024

Happy Gut Study - Fermented Vegetables and Cardiovascular Biomarkers

An interventional study of Fermented vegetable in Cardiovascular Diseases, sponsored by University of North Florida. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 35 Years to 64 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-01-22.

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

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
87
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
35 Years to 64 Years
Sex
All
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Study summary

The purpose of this project is to determine whether regular consumption of fermented vegetables can decrease inflammation and change the types of bacteria that are normally present in the large intestine. Recent research studies have linked the gut bacteria to many disorders and conditions, such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, etc. We also know that certain bacteria are considered probiotic bacteria because they contribute to a healthy gut, while others have been associated with inflammation and disease. Fermented foods may contain beneficial bacteria that may improve health in humans. However, there is a lack of research studies examining the effects of regular consumption of fermented foods on health. This study will help investigators better understand if regular consumption of fermented vegetables can improve inflammation and change the gut bacteria towards a more beneficial profile.

Read the detailed description

Investigators will recruit 90-100 participants for this study. Participants will be recruited by posting flyers throughout Jacksonville, social media advertisements, and by advertisements on public radio. Recruitment flyers and advertisements will direct potential participants to email or call study staff or visit the study website. The study website will direct potential participants to answer the screening questions and those found to be eligible will be asked to provide contact information so that study staff can contact them to schedule an orientation via zoom. The study orientation will last approximately 45 minutes and will include a PowerPoint presentation about the study, outlining all procedures and a thorough review of the consent form.

After the study orientation, participants will be given two weeks to contact the study if they wish to participate. Those who decide to participate will be asked to schedule their baseline appointment by calling or emailing the study. During the initial appointment, participants will be asked to sign a copy of the consent form and any additional questions they might have about the study will be answered. Both the baseline and follow up visits will take place in building 39/39A, 3rd floor. The time frame between the orientation and the baseline appointment will range between 2 and 3 weeks.

Procedures prior to each clinic visit

There will be a total of two clinic visits, and the same procedures apply to both:

Once participants schedule their first visit, they will be mailed a stool collection kit containing three collection tubes, a collection hat, and a liner for the collection hat, along with instructions on how to collect the stool samples. These instructions will also be available on the study's website. These samples will be collected prior to the first clinic visit, so that participants can bring the collection tubes with them to the clinic visit.

Participants will also be sent information on how to fill out online questionnaires and they will be asked to complete the questionnaires prior to their clinic visit. The questionnaires will ask about demographic information, medical history, diet history and physical activity. The study website will contain all the data collection materials, so that enrolled participants can easily access these documents. Every randomized participant will receive a password to the website to access the study's materials.

Procedures during each clinic visit The two clinic visits will take approximately 45 minutes, each and they will be scheduled in the morning hours, because participants will have to fast for 12-hours to provide blood samples. Participants will be greeted by study staff and their temperature will be checked as part of the covid screening. Then, they will be taken to the body composition assessment lab, for measurement of weight, height, and body fat % using the InBody 570. Participants will be asked to stand on a platform and hold on to the handles of the equipment for approximately 2 minutes for the assessment of body composition. Next, participants' blood pressure will be measured twice using a digital blood pressure monitor and they will be asked to recall their food consumption over the past 24 hours(24-hr diet recall). Lastly, trained nurses will collect approximately 16 mL of blood in two tubes.

At the first clinic visit, participants randomized into the treatment group will receive print materials about a heart-healthy diet and a four-week supply of fermented vegetables with a measuring cup for easy portioning of the vegetables. They will also be asked to fill out an electronic symptoms log where they will list any side effects associated with food consumption, weekly. Participants randomized to the control group will only receive print materials about a heart-healthy diet, but they will also be asked to fill out the symptoms log.

Following the first clinic visit, participants will be contacted by study staff once a week by phone or text-message, depending on their preferred method of contact. The weekly checks will serve to remind participants to fill out the symptoms log and to check on compliance in the case of the treatment group, by asking participants if they skipped any days or consumed less vegetables than prescribed for the week. At four weeks, all participants will be asked to provide another 24-hr diet recall, and another four-week supply of fermented vegetables will be delivered to participants in the treatment group.

Data collection All questionnaire data will be filled out electronically with the exception of the three 24-hr recalls that will be done in person or by phone. All questionnaire data will be identified with a unique ID number that will be assigned to each participant. There will be only one file that will include participants' name with ID numbers, which will be password protected and stored in a secured drive.

02

Conditions studied

  • Cardiovascular Diseases

Keywords

  • C-reactive protein
  • lipopolysaccharide binding protein
  • trimethylamine oxide
  • Oxidized LDL receptor
03

In context

Cardiovascular Diseases

5,368 studies on the registry are indexed under Cardiovascular Diseases; 939 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 87 is below the median of 100 across 3,084 interventional studies indexed under Cardiovascular Diseases.

Browse Cardiovascular Diseases studies →

Lead sponsor

University of North Florida is the lead sponsor of 6 studies on the registry; 1 is open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
35 Years to 64 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • over 25.9
  • Generally healthy

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Diabetes
  • Taking statins
  • Taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors
  • Salt sensitivity
  • Uncontrolled hypertension
  • Diagnosed with disease
  • Regular use of probiotics
  • Regular use of antibiotics
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(2)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

BMI (body mass index)

Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.

What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.

Autoimmune disease

A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.

Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
87 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • No intervention
    Control

    The control group will be asked to follow their usual diet, but will receive print materials about a diet for cardiovascular health.

  • Experimental
    Fermented vegetable

    The fermented vegetable group will be asked to consume 100 g of fermented vegetables per day, at least 5 days per week for 8 weeks.

    Other: Fermented vegetable

Interventions

  • OtherFermented vegetable

    Participants will be asked to consume 100 g of fermented vegetables per day, at least 5 days per week, for 8 weeks

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in C-reactive protein

    ng/mL

    Time frame: baseline and 8 weeks later

  2. Change in oxidized LDL receptor

    pg/mL

    Time frame: baseline and 8 weeks later

  3. Change in trimethylamine oxide

    ng/mL

    Time frame: baseline and 8 weeks later

  4. Change in lipopolysaccharide binding protein

    ng/mL

    Time frame: baseline and 8 weeks later

  5. Change in Shannon Index

    no unit

    Time frame: baseline and 8 weeks later

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in angiopoietin-like protein 4

    ng/mL

    Time frame: baseline and 8 weeks later

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Study locations

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

References and documents

Related links

Study documents

PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jan 22, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04887662
Lead sponsor
University of North Florida
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
May 14, 2021
Start date
May 5, 2021
Primary completion
Dec 6, 2021
Completion
Dec 6, 2021
Last update
Jan 22, 2024

Oversight

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

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Jan 2024. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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