Propionate and bone health
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Increasing gut-derived propionate to improve bone health in postmenopausal women
IRAS ID
307502
Contact name
Edward Chambers
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
There are >500,000 osteoporotic fractures per year in the UK, which causes considerable individual suffering and costs the NHS £4.4bn1. Older women (>50 years) have a 2.5-fold increased risk of osteoporotic fractures compared with older men, owing to the profound impact of the menopause on bone turnover. Pharmacological interventions to improve bone turnover and prevent osteoporotic fractures are limited by the cost and adverse side effects of approved drugs. Consequently, there is an urgent need for effective, safe, inexpensive, and widely applicable interventions to prevent osteoporotic fractures in postmenopausal women.
Higher intakes of dietary fibre in postmenopausal women improve bone mineral density (BMD), an important risk determinant for osteoporotic fractures. Investigations highlight that the short chain fatty acid (SCFA) propionate, generated from gut bacterial fermentation of dietary fibre, improves bone turnover and mass. Accordingly, interventions that can augment gut-derived propionate in postmenopausal women may be an effective strategy at improving bone turnover and preventing osteoporotic fractures.
To selectively raise gut-derived propionate we have developed an inulin-propionate ester (IPE). We estimate that the addition of 10 g IPE to the diet of a typical UK adult leads to a 2.5-fold increase in daily propionate production. The IPE is a food supplement produced by Dr Douglas Morrison at The University of Glasgow.
The primary objective of this project is to develop in vivo proof-of-concept for IPE to improve bone turnover markers in postmenopausal women.
REC name
London - South East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/LO/0913
Date of REC Opinion
14 Dec 2021
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion