The Effect of Probiotic and Prebiotic Supplementation on Gastrointestinal Health in Individuals With Chronic Spinal Cord Injury

NCT ID: NCT06870331

Last Updated: 2025-10-03

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

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

50 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2025-08-11

Study Completion Date

2027-06-30

Brief Summary

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The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effect of probiotic and prebiotic supplementation in individuals with chronic spinal cord injury experiencing gastrointestinal complaints.

The main questions this trail aims to answer are:

* what are the effects of the supplementation on gastrointestinal symptoms?
* what are the effects of the supplementation on gut microbiome composition?
* what are the effects of the supplementation on inflammatory serum markers?
* what are the effects of the supplementation on gastrointestinal transit time?

Participants will:

* take either the probiotic or prebiotic supplement daily for eight weeks, followed by a four-week "wash-out period" (= no intake of either supplement) and a subsequent eight-week intake of the other supplement.
* visit the study center for four appointments, during which various measurements will be performed.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Spinal Cord Injury

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

CROSSOVER

Open-label two-arm randomized controlled crossover trial
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Probiotic intervention

Probiotics add beneficial bacterial strains to the gut, which can restore microbial balance.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Probiotic

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Participants will take one sachet BIOTICS-G (Burgerstein, Switzerland, 2.5 g) daily for eight weeks. The supplement contains 14 bacterial strains with a total viable cell count of 2.5 billion colony-forming units per sachet.

Prebiotic intervention

Prebiotics, such as oat bran, selectively promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, particularly butyrate-producing species.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Prebiotic

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Participants will take 5 g of oat bran (Naturaplan Bio Haferkleie, Coop, Switzerland) daily for eight weeks.

Interventions

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Probiotic

Participants will take one sachet BIOTICS-G (Burgerstein, Switzerland, 2.5 g) daily for eight weeks. The supplement contains 14 bacterial strains with a total viable cell count of 2.5 billion colony-forming units per sachet.

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Prebiotic

Participants will take 5 g of oat bran (Naturaplan Bio Haferkleie, Coop, Switzerland) daily for eight weeks.

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Age: ≥ 18 years
* Sex: male and female.
* Chronic SCI (\>1 year post-injury)
* Individuals with para- and tetraplegia (American Spinal Cord Injury (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS) score A-D)
* Having significant gastrointestinal complaints, indicated with "yes" at screening and by a GIQLI questionnaire score below 110 at baseline
* Signed written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

* Antibiotic use within the last four weeks before starting the study
* Major dietary changes within the last four weeks before starting the study, such as initiating a vegan or ketogenic diet
* Presence of clinically relevant medical conditions, including Crohn's disease, diagnosed eating or gastrointestinal disorders, assessed on an individual basis
* Intake of significant concomitant medication, including immunomodulating therapy, mesalazines, or steroids, assessed on an individual basis
* Concurrent participation in other clinical trials investigating or potentially affecting GI health
* Insufficient German language skills to follow the study procedures
* Pregnancy (anamnestic)
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil

NETWORK

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Jivko Stoyanov, Prof. Dr.

Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR

Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil

Locations

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Swiss Paraplegic Research

Nottwil, Canton of Lucerne, Switzerland

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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Switzerland

Central Contacts

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Claudio Perret, Prof. Dr.

Role: CONTACT

+41419396650

Anneke Hertig-Godeschalk, PhD

Role: CONTACT

+41419396603

Facility Contacts

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Anneke Hertig, PhD

Role: primary

+41419396603

Other Identifiers

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2024-25

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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