Pill that samples your gut could reveal diet secrets
NCT ID NCT07220369
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests a tiny, swallowable device called a mini-pill that collects samples from different parts of the gut. Researchers want to see if it can show how eating meat versus plant-based meat alternatives changes gut bacteria and health markers. Thirty men and postmenopausal women will take part, and the mini-pills are recovered from stool.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- mini-pill (ingestible device)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this mini-pill could provide a noninvasive way to study how different foods affect gut bacteria and health.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early feasibility study with only 30 people. The mini-pill may not work as expected or may be hard to recover.
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
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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
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About 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2025
- Expected to finish
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Aug 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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50 to 75 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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: * Men and postmenopausal women * Age \>50 to \<75 years * BMI \>20 to \<35 kg/m2 * Normotensive with or without medication * Normal gastrointestinal function with regular bowel movements at least once every other day * Normal kidney and liver function * Willingness to swallow the mini-pills * Willingness to collect and return multiple stool samples * Adequate refrigerator and freezer space to store study entrées * Intent to remain in the greater Boston area during the intervention periods Exclusion Criteria: * Individuals self-reporting adhering to any type of vegetarian diet * Lack of willingness to restrict fish intake to less than once per week during the dietary intervention phases * Allergy/intolerance/religious reasons to avoid study foods or food ingredients, including known hypersensitivity to Blue 1 food coloring and wheat gluten. * Regular use of prebiotics or probiotics within the past 3 months * Regular use of laxatives or fiber supplements * Chronic constipation * Chronic use of antibiotics (except topical) * Regular use of stomach acid lowering and weight loss medications such as GLP-1 agonists * Use of dental prophylaxis * Planned colonoscopy 2 months prior to or during the study period * Gastroparesis * Swallowing disorder, or inability or difficulty taking pills * Malabsorptive and inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulosis, and history of diverticulitis, gastric/ esophageal/intestinal surgery, including lap banding or bariatric surgery. * History of bowel obstruction, pancreas and liver disorders. * Any form of active substance abuse or dependence (including drug or alcohol abuse). This information will be stored in REDCAP in a subsection that has no identifiers. * Established major chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, active cancer within the last 5 years, or any significant medical condition at the study MD's discretion * A clinical condition that, in the judgment of the study MD or principal investigator, could potentially pose a health risk to the subject while involved in the study. * Unwillingness to adhere to study protocol * Intent to increase or decrease body weight during the study period * No Social Security number (for payment and IRS forms). * Individuals who directly report to any member of the research team.
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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.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging
RECRUITINGBoston, Massachusetts, 02111, United States
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