Fermented milk powder to aid gut health and quality of life in healthy inidividuals with mild to moderate gastrointestinal symptoms compared with placebo, and non-fermented milk control
Healthy individuals experiencing mild to moderate gastrointestinal symptoms
A total of n=120 participants (total across both sites) will be recruited to this single-blinded study with a parallel design that will involve a 4-week baseline phase before participants are randomised to either the intervention arm (consumption of 20g of fermented skimmed milk product daily) or one of the two control arms (maltodextrin 20g daily) or (skimmed milk powder 20g daily) at a ratio of 3:1:1, respectively. Intervention arm (consumption of 20g of fermented skimmed milk powder product daily) Control arm 1 (20g maltodextrin powder) Control arm 2 (20g skimmed milk powder) The overall duration of the study will be 16 weeks, conducted in 3 phases: Phase 1 A 4-week baseline period will be conducted (to establish patterns of gut comfort / discomfort). Phase 2 The 8-week intervention phase, where participants will be randomised to one of 3 treatment arms, where they will consume their assigned treatment for 8 consecutive weeks. Phase 3 A 4-week ‘washout’ period will then be conducted for 4-weeks after intervention has been completed. For randomisation, an external independent entity was used to perform randomisation and assign study codes to participant IDs.
1. Respondents aged 20-45 years old. 2. Respondents who have self-reported mild to moderate digestive issues as per the Structured Assessment of Gastrointestinal Symptoms (Koloski et. al) / Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (Zigmond et. al, 1983) questionnaires.
1. Respondents who report lactose intolerance 2. Respondents who report either very mild or very severe gastrointestinal issues. 3. Post-menopausal women or those experiencing menopause. 4. Respondents who report self-medication with probiotics or similar products for gastrointestinal issues will be excluded or will have to undergo a washout period before recruitment. 5. Respondents who report medical issues that affect gut transit/digestion. 6. Respondents who report living situations where they are not independently living, or require care. 7. Respondents who report regular taking antacids. 8. Respondents who report that they are smokers. 9. Respondents who report they are pregnant or lactating. 10. Respondents who have been prescribed antibiotics in the last 3 months. 11. Respondents who report having Type-1 Diabetes.