RecruitingACTRN12619001204134

Effect of KFibre in heartburn

Efficacy of Kfibre™ in combating Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Preliminary Human Clinical Study


Sponsor

University of Tasmania

Enrollment

40 participants

Start Date

Jun 20, 2019

Study Type

Interventional

Conditions

Summary

K-fibreTM is produced in Australia by KFSU Ltd from sugar cane as a whole cane product. Informal observations of KFSU customers indicated that of K-fibreTM was effective in controlling of symptoms in heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a condition that affects around 20% Australians and causes drastic reduction in quality of life.This preliminary human clinical study is proposed with a hypothesis that KFibre will reduce/control gastroesophageal reflux disease and associated heartburn or indigestion symptoms.


Eligibility

Sex: Both males and femalesMin Age: 18 YearssMax Age: 75 Yearss

Plain Language Summary

Simplified for easier understanding

This trial is exploring whether KFibre — a natural fibre product made from sugar cane in Australia — can help people who suffer from heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). GERD is an extremely common condition where stomach acid flows back into the oesophagus, causing the burning sensation we know as heartburn. It affects around one in five Australians and can seriously affect daily life and quality of sleep. The study will test whether taking KFibre regularly can reduce or control heartburn and reflux symptoms. Participants will be randomly assigned to either take KFibre or a comparison treatment, and researchers will track how their symptoms change over time. This is a preliminary human trial to see whether what has been observed informally in KFibre customers can be confirmed in a more rigorous setting. You may be eligible if you are aged 18 to 75, experience heartburn or regurgitation at least three times a week, and do not have serious gastrointestinal conditions like Barrett's oesophagus or peptic ulcers. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding are not eligible. If heartburn is something you deal with regularly and you are looking for a natural approach, this trial may be worth exploring.

This is a simplified summary. Always discuss eligibility with your doctor before enrolling in a clinical trial.

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Interventions

Approach: In order to test an alternative GERD treatment, a clinical trial will be conducted using K-fibreTM compared to a placebo of insoluble crystalline cellulose. This is a food grade fibre (Agri

Approach: In order to test an alternative GERD treatment, a clinical trial will be conducted using K-fibreTM compared to a placebo of insoluble crystalline cellulose. This is a food grade fibre (Agri Food Ingredients (N G Alexander & Co Pty Ltd) Suite 15, 828 High St. Kew East VIC 3102; www.agrifi.com.au) and is used as a food fibre as well as an excipient in the manufacture of pills. The study will be conducted in Launceston by doctors in association with gastric clinics. A Research Associate will be employed to undertake the organisation of the trials and collection and collation of results. Patients will be assigned into Treatment Groups. The study will be double blind with neither the patient or the Doctor and staff administering the study knowing which people are receiving the treatment or placebo control. All patients will be given a 150 gm container of test insoluble fibre or placebo with instructions on use. Patients will be instructed to stir one heaped teaspoon into a glass of water in the morning after food in the morning and night, to drink it immediately in suspended form. After 3 weeks treatment patients will return to the Clinic for assessment and be requested to return the unused portion of the fibre to validate consumption. Patients should continue to administer the dose until assessed by the GP. Timetable: Group 1: K-fibre (3g/day; twice daily) and Group2: cellulose placebo (3g/day; twice daily) Day 1: Informed consent- Age, sex, smoking status, medical history, BMI and vital signs. At enrolment validated GERD-HRQL questionnaire will be administered by the participating GP. It has both composite score plus individual symptoms assessment (nine questions reported in a scale of 0 to 5). The overall score will be a maximum of 75 (the higher the score, the more the severity of GERD). The total time required to administer the questionnaire would be 1-2 minutes. The questionnaire has been designed to get specific data about heartburn through heartburn score (maximum of 30) and regurgitation through regurgitation score (maximum 30). Day 20: After 3 weeks treatment the validated GERD-HRQL questionnaire will be administered again by the participating GP. After 3 weeks, the intervention will be discontinued completely. Strategy to monitor adherence: container returns to measure any left over samples


Locations(1)

TAS, Australia

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ACTRN12619001204134


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