Scientists track food DNA's journey through the human gut
NCT ID NCT06687226
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 07, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This pilot study at Duke University will track how quickly DNA from food passes through the digestive system. Twenty healthy adults will eat a special powder mix and then provide stool samples over several days. Researchers will measure food DNA in the samples to see how fast it travels and disappears.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- reconstitutable food powder (Gatorade Zero with camu camu, kelp, or maqui)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could help scientists understand how food DNA moves through the gut and how it might affect nutrient absorption and gut bacteria.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study with only 20 healthy people, so results may not apply to everyone. It simply measures digestion speed, not a treatment or cure.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
-
About 20 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
-
Jan 2027
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
-
Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 years and older
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Above age 18? * Able to provide stool samples at no risk to the participant? * Does the participant have card access to the MSRBIII building, and is the participant able to visit this building (at times of the participant's convenience) for the purposes of this study? Exclusion Criteria: * Already consume camu camu, maqui or kelp in typical diet? * Have a history or current diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome? * Have a history or current diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease? * Have a history or current diagnosis of type 2 diabetes? * Have a history or current diagnosis of chronic kidney disease with decreased kidney function? * Have a history or current diagnosis of intestinal obstruction? * Have a history or current diagnosis of untreated colorectal cancer? * Has the participant had a colonoscopy within the past month?
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Digestion rate are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Medical Sciences Research Building III (MSRB III)
Durham, North Carolina, 27710, United States