NCT06134076

Comparing Effects of Fermented and Unfermented Pulses and Gut Microbiota

Impact of Fermented Pulses on Inflammation and the Gut Microbiota

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 30 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Penn State University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about the effects of consuming fermented pulses (certain types of legumes like chickpeas or lentils) in healthy people. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. How does consuming the fermented foods impact the gut microbiome? 2. Does this interaction between the fermented foods and the gut microbiome affect inflammation? Participants will be asked to consume two sets of prepared meals, one containing unfermented pulses, the other containing fermented pulses. Researchers will compare the gut microbiome and inflammation between these two diets.

Detailed description

The rationale for the research is that fermentation of pulses can reduce the concentration of compounds that suppress butyrate producing bacteria and butyrate production. This will in turn boost butyrate production during consumption of these fermented pulses relative to that in unfermented pulses. This in turn will lead to lower inflammation in people consuming fermented pulses. To best study this question the investigators will utilize a cross-over design trial where participants will consume daily meals containing either fermented or unfermented pulses (chickpeas), followed by a washout period and then a period of consuming the other type of pulse. The investigators hypothesize that those consuming the fermented pulses will experience a significant decrease in inflammatory markers driven by increased butyrate production by gut bacteria.

Conditions

• Fermented Food
• Inflammation

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Unfermented chickpea	Frozen meals containing 100 g unfermented chickpeas
OTHER	Fermented chickpea	Frozen meals containing 100 g fermented chickpeas

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-09-01
• Primary completion: 2026-08-01
• Completion: 2026-08-01
• First posted: 2023-11-18
• Last updated: 2025-01-20