Clinical trials

The role of the intestinal microbiota on health is now well recognised, and diet is one of the factors influencing the maintenance of a healthy intestinal microbiota. More specifically, the consumption of fruit, vegetables and cereals is associated with good health and, in particular, with an increase in the relative abundance of bacterial groups described as beneficial. To date, a large number of bacterial species in the intestinal microbiota have yet to be isolated and cultivated, which limits the characterisation of their potential health benefits. In order to isolate and cultivate these intestinal bacteria, it is particularly relevant to recruit individuals with a high-fibre diet.

" The French Gut " is a national contribution aiming to collect 100,000 faecal samples and associated nutritional and clinical data by 2027. Le French Gut is initiated by MetaGenoPolis-INRAE, supported by INRAE with Prof. R. Benamouzig, (AP-HP) as principal investigator of the project. The main goal of this national trial is a better understanding of the observed heterogeneity between gut microbiome of healthy subjects, its connections with the diet and lifestyle, but also changes in gut microbiota associated with diseases (diabetes, obesity, allergies, cancer, Parkinson, Alzheimer…).

This cross sectional study investigates how the oral physiological changes during the period of dental transition (6-12 years old) influence on texture preferences, food oral processing behaviour and food bolus properties, for different foods varying in texture and in comparison to the adult population.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of consuming an "artisanal" bread for 15 days on gastrointestinal symptoms in individuals intolerant to "conventional" bread. "Conventional bread" refers to bread made with refined wheat flour (ash = 0.55% of dry matter), containing gluten, and leavened with baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). "Artisanal bread" refers to bread made with whole wheat flour (ash = 1.50% of dry matter) from an ancient durum wheat variety (Russello) and leavened with sourdough.

Plant proteins are usually less digestible than animal proteins, but they may benefit gut health through effects on the microbiome. The long-term impact of diets rich in plant products on protein digestion and metabolism is still unknown, especially in older adults with higher protein needs. This study aims to compare the digestion and use of pea proteins in young and older adults, both vegetarians and omnivores. Volunteers are divided into four groups: young omnivores, young vegetarians, older omnivores, and older vegetarians. They take part in two clinical investigation days. On the first day, nitrogen retention and protein metabolism is measured after consumption of a pea-based meal. On the second day, amino acid digestibility of pea is evaluated. These results will provide valuable data on how plant proteins are digested and metabolized depending on age and diet. They will also help determine whether aging reduces the availability of plant proteins. This knowledge is important to support nutritional strategies for populations with specific protein needs, such as older adults.

To better understand how diet influences health during aging, the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE) is working with the Gérontopôle Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes on a project called Part'AGE. Part'AGE is a participatory research project where researchers want to recruit 1,000 people aged between 55 and 75 years, men and women, living in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in urban or rural areas. The goal is to study eating habits and state of health. To do this, researchers will examine many factors that can influence them, such as physical activity, overall health, consumption patterns or territories. Researchers will collect detailed information to classify participants into different groups (food typologies) based on their eating habits and state of health. With this distribution, the goal is to be able to give each group personalized nutritional advice to age in better health. To participate in the study, the participants will need to collect a few drops of blood from the end of the finger, a urine sample, and do some tests (mobility, oral health). It will also be necessary to fill out questionnaires on eating habits, physical activity, and other aspects that may influence health. The benefices for to participants will be to contribute to nutrition research and to receive personalized feedback and advices on eating habits.

There is high inter-individual variability in the response to feeding, which is determined by multiple interacting factors such as age, sex, genotype, gut microbiota, eating behaviors, physical activity or even socio-demographic factors. Original studies have recently demonstrated the possibility of predicting the postprandial response to the diet of healthy individuals on the basis of in-depth phenotyping, and of offering them foods adapted to their own metabolic capacities according to their belonging to different groups of individuals defined on the basis of the similarity of their metabolic capacities. Due to different life trajectories, inter-individual variability could be amplified upon entry into the aging period, which could explain at least in part why traditional strategies for managing chronic age-related pathologies are insufficient. The investigators aim is to propose a new strategy to better understand inter-individual variability in the response to food in the elderly based on deep phenotyping.

The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in health through its involvement in pathogen defense, immune regulation, and nutrient digestion. Microbiota diversity is essential to maintain these functions, and disturbances caused by antibiotic intake or extreme diets can lead to an imbalance (dysbiosis), which is often described as being implicated in numerous diseases as well as in the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. The microbiota is defined as the community of microorganisms inhabiting the intestine, including bacteria, viruses, and bacteriophages (phages). These phages, through their ability to destroy the bacteria they infect, play an important role in regulating bacterial populations and could therefore be essential for restoring balance and diversity in the gut. Probiotics, foods that support the microbiota such as dairy products, are of particular interest because the specific interactions between phages and bacteria within these food microbiomes could stimulate microbiota restoration. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of phage-based functional foods in restoring intestinal homeostasis and, by extension, improving human health. It will serve as a model to examine how phages present in foods, particularly dairy products, influence gut microbial diversity and to determine whether these phages promote recovery after antibiotic-induced disturbances.

The human gut microbiota is a dynamic ecosystem essential to health, influenced by diet, age, and lifestyle. It plays a key role in digestion, immunity, and nervous system regulation. Among its important compounds, short-chain fatty acids, particularly butyrate, are crucial for intestinal and metabolic balance, as they support homeostasis, strengthen the epithelial barrier, and have anti-inflammatory effects. An imbalance in the microbiota, especially a decrease in butyrate-producing bacteria, is linked to intestinal, metabolic, and neurological disorders. A fiber-rich diet promotes the growth of these beneficial bacteria. This study aims to isolate and characterize probiotics that can enhance butyrate production, thereby improving intestinal health and microbiota balance. Sampling conditions will comply with regulations governing research involving human subjects.

The objective of this study is to assess to what extent goat's milk is better tolerated than cow's milk among individuals who report being intolerant to cow's milk, and, if so, to understand the underlying factors. To achieve this, digestive discomfort sensations and postprandial kinetics of nutrients after ingestion of cow's or goat's milk will be compared in two populations: individuals intolerant to cow's milk but not to goat's milk, and individuals who show no symptoms of intolerance to either cow's or goat's milk. For this purpose, approaches based on stable isotope labeling of milk will be employed.

The ambition of the project is to help with the primal colonisation of babies born by caesarean section and to improve the lipid composition of an infant formula, in order to reduce the short- and long-term health problems associated with caesarean births. This population, which represents around 20% of babies born in France, has not yet received any specific care to date. The study aims to develop an optimized infant formula. It includes: (1) isolation of probiotics from breast milk from nursing mothers and stool samples from their babies born vaginally, (2) formulation of an improved milk enriched with physiological lipids and selected probiotics, and (3) preclinical evaluation of its beneficial effects in a cesarean birth model.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common type of cancer worldwide. The European Union recommends national CRC screening for people aged between 50 and 74. Generally, an immunological test called FIT (Fecal Immunochemical Test), based on the quantitative detection of human haemoglobin, is performed on a stool sample. If the haemoglobin level is above the recommended threshold, a colonoscopy is recommended to detect colorectal lesions. Recent studies have identified potential microbiota signatures associated with colon cancer. In this study, we will analyze the microbiota of a population aged 50 to 75 years undergoing colonoscopy as part of routine care in order to confirm the presence of microbiota signatures associated with the presence of adenomas, advanced adenomas and CRC.

The goal of the project is to determine the protein quality of alternative protein sources, honey chlorella and Faba bean, ingested as mixed meals in healthy subjects equipped with naso-ileal tube. For this purpose, Chlorella and Faba bean are intrinsically labelled with 15N. Faba bean is processed to produce a meat analogue. Chlorella is introduced in a drink. The protein quality is determined by following the digestive and metabolic fate of 15N during a 8h postprandial investigation.

The purpose of this randomized controlled trial is to conduct an intervention aimed at providing first-time parents with information on the conduct of complementary feeding through a paper brochure and a smartphone application, to test the effect of this intervention (compared to usual care, i.e. receiving the paper brochure only), on infant corpulence at 36 and 48 months of age, and parental feeding practices and infant eating behavior up to 36 months of age.