Kefir Cholesterol Lowering Pilot Study

University of Alberta

Status: Completed

Conditions: Hypercholesterolemia

Treatments: Other: Kefir

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04247139

Pro00087964

Details and patient eligibility

About

High cholesterol (a type of fat in humans blood) may be one factor that can lead to heart disease. If people have higher cholesterol, it is possible that kefir (a food similar to yogurt) may help to control blood cholesterol levels.

Full description

New research shows that kefir (which contains bacteria also known as microbes), similar to yogurt, may improve health by lowering cholesterol levels. Much of this research however, focuses on traditional types of kefir, which differ significantly from commercially prepared kefir with regards to the types of microbes in each kefir. Additionally, there is a lack of research looking at how commercial kefir compares to traditional kefir in its ability to improve health. This has led to the consumer being confused about the health benefits they believe they are receiving, such as reduced weight gain, and improved cholesterol levels, when they purchase and consume commercial kefir. The researchers have produced a commercially usable kefir that has the health benefits of traditional grain fermented kefir. This was accomplished with only a small subset of microbes present in the traditional kefir, leading to a much easier product to commercialize and produce. Thus, this study aims to look at whether kefir, produced in the researchers laboratory and commercially available kefir, given to males for in two separate months, results in any cholesterol lowering effects. Successful completion of this project could potentially result in the development of a new commercial kefir with health benefits that are supported by scientific research and testing. In addition, if positive results are seen, a larger study will be carried out to ensure that results of the current study are consistent for the Canadian population.

Enrollment: 21 patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Males, aged 18-65y
2. Moderately hypercholesterolemic adults: LDL-C between 3.2 and 4.9 mM, but otherwise healthy
3. No history of CVD, type 2 diabetes, monogenic dyslipidemia or use of medications for hyperlipidemia (including statins).
4. No dairy allergy

Exclusion criteria

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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21 participants in 2 patient groups

Commercial Kefir

Experimental group

Description:

Commercially produced kefir

Treatment:

Other: Kefir

Traditional Kefir

Experimental group

Description:

Traditionally grown kefir

Treatment:

Other: Kefir