Impact of Microbiome-changing Interventions on Food Decision-making

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Inulin: 28g/day delivered in 2 sachets throughout the day with main meals

Lifestyle intervention: weekly educational sessions to improve individual's eating behaviour

Placebo: equicaloric maltodextrin delivered in 2 sachets throughout the day with main meals

Study summary

The investigators aim to test the hypothesis that a microbiome-changing dietary intervention improves food decision-making and to determine the underlying microbiotal and metabolic mechanisms. To this end, 90 overweight/obese adults will be enrolled in a randomized controlled trial to test the effects of a pre-biotic dietary intervention (supplementary intake of soluble fibre) or a behavioural lifestyle intervention (weekly educational program) vs. control condititon (supplementary intake of isocaloric starch) over a period of 26 weeks. Before and after the intervention/control period, participants will undergo task-based functional and structural MRI and cognitive testing. The gut microbiota will be assessed using 16S rDNA next-generation sequencing (V3/V4 region) in stool samples. Diet, anthropometry and lifestyle will be monitored with questionnaires and metabolomics will be assayed in peripheral blood and stool (e.g. SCFA). Using a modulation of gut-brain communication through a prebiotic diet and lifestyle intervention, respectively, the investigators will be able to discover microbiota communities that play a key role for eating behaviour. Related mechanistic insights could help to develop novel preventive and therapeutic options to combat unhealthy weight gain in our obesogenic society.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) activity during food wanting — 6 months
  BOLD-acitvity will be measured using event-related echo-planar T2\*-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during food wanting task according to previously described procedures (details of preprocessing at: https://osf.io/ynkxw). Onsets of food and art stimuli presentation will be modelled as separate regressors convolving delta functions with a canonical hemodynamic response function. Wanting rating scores (on an 8-point likert scale) per stimulus will be added as covariates. In a parallel model, kcal of food stimuli will be added multiplied with wanting scores to model high caloric food wanting interaction. At the group level, we will assess the contrasts food \> art and wanting modulation.

Trial sites (1)

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