Dark Chocolate and Intestinal Motility

NCT ID: NCT03841578

Last Updated: 2019-02-15

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

UNKNOWN

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

10 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2019-03-01

Study Completion Date

2020-03-01

Brief Summary

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Following food intake, the body activates several processes to degrade and digest it. Studies show that there is an adaptation of gastric emptying and gastrointestinal motility to a food component; therefore, considering the intestinal adaptation to chocolate, the effect on gastrointestinal motility in relation to the intake of chocolate will be investigated.

The organoleptic perceptions of dark chocolate will also be analyzed to evaluate the appreciation of the product ingested by the subject.

Detailed Description

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Chocolate, the main product deriving from cocoa beans (Theobroma cacao, from the Greek "food of the gods") has its origin in Mexico, where Maya, Inca and Aztecs practiced its cultivation, has for centuries been appreciated for its pleasant taste and its beneficial health effects.

Chocolate is the most sought-after food worldwide, and currently its consumption has increased considerably with a wide availability of products on the market.

Dietary choices are strongly influenced by the taste and consistency of foods. Fat is largely responsible for the sensory properties of many foods and, therefore, contribute greatly to the pleasure of eating. Dark chocolate consists of ≈43% of lipids, mainly represented by cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is composed of an average of 33% of oleic acid, 25% of palmitic acid and 33% of stearic acid. Another component of chocolate is polyphenols, in particular flavonoids, substances with numerous beneficial effects for health, including antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic, metabolic and prebiotic activity playing a role in the change of human intestinal microbiota. Recent scientific studies show an inverse correlation between the intake of flavonoids in the diet and the incidence of diabetes, such as to hypothesize the use of foods rich in flavonoids as potential food supplements in the management of diabetes. The cocoa flavonoids can bring benefits to the insulin-resistance condition by improving endothelial function, modifying glucose metabolism and reducing oxidative stress, which is considered the main cause of insulin resistance. In healthy individuals and even in patients with moderate cardiovascular risk, regular intake of flavonoids improves levels of cardiovascular biomarkers, reducing serum LDL cholesterol concentrations and triglycerides and increasing HDL cholesterol concentrations. The flavonoids present in cocoa may also inhibit platelet aggregation by down-regulation of the cellular synthesis of eicosanoids. Chocolate is an effective alternative for increasing fiber intake at recommended levels; in addition, it reduces intestinal transit time by increasing peristaltic movements.

Conditions

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Gastrointestinal Motility

Study Design

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Allocation Method

NA

Intervention Model

SINGLE_GROUP

10 healthy subjects (controls) undergoing organoleptic assessment and gastrointestinal motility study
Primary Study Purpose

SCREENING

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Healthy

10 participants (matched per gender), aged 25-35 years old who accepts the consumption of dark chocolate plus a 'NutriDrink' previous to signing an informed consent and providing authorization to the handling of their personal data

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Healthy

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

25g of dark chocolate (70%) will be provided to participants on Phase 1 (organoleptic assessment). On Phase 2 (gastrointestinal motility assessment), they will ingest a standard liquid meal (NutriDrink, 200ml), consisting of 10g of lactulose and 12g of fat

Interventions

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Healthy

25g of dark chocolate (70%) will be provided to participants on Phase 1 (organoleptic assessment). On Phase 2 (gastrointestinal motility assessment), they will ingest a standard liquid meal (NutriDrink, 200ml), consisting of 10g of lactulose and 12g of fat

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Aged 25-35 years old
* Able to sign an informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

* Refuse to sign an informed consent
* Diagnosis of organic diseases, including neoplastic inflammatory or cardiovascular diseases
* Drugs able to influence the gastrointestinal tract or interfering with symptoms
* Pregnancy
* Presence of diseases with a prognosis inferior to a year
* Hypersensitivity to chocolate or its components
Minimum Eligible Age

25 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

35 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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University of Bari

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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piero portincasa

PhD MD Professor Piero Portincasa

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Piero Portincasa, MD, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Clinica Medica "A. Murri", DIMO - University of Bari

Locations

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Department of Biomedical Sciences Human Oncology - Clinica Medica "A. Murri"

Bari, BA, Italy

Site Status

Countries

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Italy

Central Contacts

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Piero Portincasa, MD, PhD

Role: CONTACT

+393284687215

References

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Latif R. Chocolate/cocoa and human health: a review. Neth J Med. 2013 Mar;71(2):63-8.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 23462053 (View on PubMed)

Shah SR, Alweis R, Najim NI, Dharani AM, Jangda MA, Shahid M, Kazi AN, Shah SA. Use of dark chocolate for diabetic patients: a review of the literature and current evidence. J Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect. 2017 Sep 19;7(4):218-221. doi: 10.1080/20009666.2017.1361293. eCollection 2017 Oct.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29181133 (View on PubMed)

Schroeter H, Heiss C, Balzer J, Kleinbongard P, Keen CL, Hollenberg NK, Sies H, Kwik-Uribe C, Schmitz HH, Kelm M. (-)-Epicatechin mediates beneficial effects of flavanol-rich cocoa on vascular function in humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Jan 24;103(4):1024-9. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0510168103. Epub 2006 Jan 17.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16418281 (View on PubMed)

Ueshima K. Magnesium and ischemic heart disease: a review of epidemiological, experimental, and clinical evidences. Magnes Res. 2005 Dec;18(4):275-84.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16548143 (View on PubMed)

Allen RR, Carson L, Kwik-Uribe C, Evans EM, Erdman JW Jr. Daily consumption of a dark chocolate containing flavanols and added sterol esters affects cardiovascular risk factors in a normotensive population with elevated cholesterol. J Nutr. 2008 Apr;138(4):725-31. doi: 10.1093/jn/138.4.725.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 18356327 (View on PubMed)

Hayek N. Chocolate, gut microbiota, and human health. Front Pharmacol. 2013 Feb 7;4:11. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2013.00011. eCollection 2013. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 23405053 (View on PubMed)

Davinelli S, Corbi G, Righetti S, Sears B, Olarte HH, Grassi D, Scapagnini G. Cardioprotection by Cocoa Polyphenols and omega-3 Fatty Acids: A Disease-Prevention Perspective on Aging-Associated Cardiovascular Risk. J Med Food. 2018 Oct;21(10):1060-1069. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2018.0002. Epub 2018 May 3.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29723102 (View on PubMed)

Mushref MA, Srinivasan S. Effect of high fat-diet and obesity on gastrointestinal motility. Ann Transl Med. 2013 Jul 1;1(2):14. doi: 10.3978/j.issn.2305-5839.2012.11.01.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24432301 (View on PubMed)

Di Ciaula A, Wang DQ, Portincasa P. Gallbladder and gastric motility in obese newborns, pre-adolescents and adults. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2012 Aug;27(8):1298-305. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1746.2012.07149.x.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22497555 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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1519UO

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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