Pilot Study of the Effect of Fructans on Fermentation in the Colon & Transit
Pilot Study of the Effect of Fructans on Fermentation in the Colon & Transit
NCT ID: NCT01963364 Phase: NA Status: COMPLETED Enrollment: 16 Completion: 2013-12
Conditions
Evidence of Adaptation to Dietary Exposure to Fructans
Interventions
Inulin challenge, oligofructose supplement
Summary
Some carbohydrates (complex sugars) which are found in grains, fruit and vegetables, cannot be digested by humans. When eaten they pass through the small bowel to the large bowel, or colon. Some bacteria that live in the colon are able to digest these carbohydrates, and use them as an energy source. This releases energy that humans can absorb, and may have other effects on health as well. The process also releases gases such as hydrogen and methane into the colon, which will eventually be released as flatulence.
There is some evidence in animals, and humans, that changing the carbohydrate content of the diet may increase the numbers of bacteria in the colon that can use this energy source. Recent work has looked at how changes in colon bacteria and carbohydrate in the diet affect transit, the speed at which food and stool moves through the stomach and bowels. This undergraduate project will use techniques in Magnetic Resonance Imaging developed in Nottingham to investigate how a prolonged change in dietary carbohydrate might affect speed of transit through the bowel and gas production in the colon, and whether there is any evidence of a change in the level of signalling chemicals that may affect bowel function.
Primary Outcome
Change in whole gut transit time after one week (measured in hours) calculated using MRI marker capsule technique