Acute effect of SCFAs on vascular function v1 22/06/15
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The acute effects of short chain fatty acids supplementation on vascular function in middle-aged volunteers
IRAS ID
184247
Contact name
Frank Thies
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Aberdeen
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 2 months, 1 days
Research summary
Components of the diet which effectively modulate blood pressure (BP) could represent a safe, cost-effective mean of treating hypertension. A recent study in mice showed that propionate, a type of fat produced in the large intestine from dietary fibres by gut bacteria, can significantly decrease blood pressure. This finding is worth further study in humans. The objective of this study is, using a drink enriched with calcium propionate, to assess the acute effects of propionate supplementation on blood vessel stiffness and markers of blood vessel activity in middle aged volunteers.
Propionate is freely available in food such as hard cheese and as a food additive and is not known to have adverse effects. Twenty five subjects will be recruited from the Aberdeen area via local advertising. Subjects will attend two separate visits and take either a propionate drink or a placebo drink, and they will not know which. Blood vessel stiffness will be measured prior to ingesting the propionate- or control- drink and at 1 hr, 3hr and 24hrs. This is a painless, non -invasive procedure. Blood samples will also be taken at similar times, and will be used to measure chemicals involved in the regulation of blood vessel function.
Habitual dietary intake will be assessed prior to the study using 4 day food diaries. Volunteers will also be asked to fill a health questionnaire prior to recruitment into the study.REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 1
REC reference
15/NS/0099
Date of REC Opinion
7 Oct 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion