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Nutritional SafetyNCT00486148

Safety and Efficacy of an Infant Formula Supplemented With Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS)

A study testing Infant formula (with GOS) in people with Nutritional Safety, run by Heinz Italia SpA at 7 sites in Italy.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and efficacy of an infant formula supplemented with a "prebiotic" component (GOS) in improving the gut microflora balance, mimicking that of breast-fed infants. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 1 day to 15 days
Conditions the study is for
Nutritional Safety
What is being tested?
Infant formula (with GOS)
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
360 participants
Where
7 sitesItaly
Study dates
Feb 2006to Jun 2013
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 1 day to 15 days
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child

Who may be able to join

  • Healthy infants of both sexes, born at term with natural labor or cesarean birth
  • Single birth
  • Infant born between 37th - 42th gestation week (included)
  • Infant with birth weight ≥ 2500 g
  • APGAR score after 5 minutes of life > 7
  • Infant born from parents of Caucasian race
Show all 9Show fewer
  • Exclusive breast feeding or formula feeding within 15 days from birth.
  • Consensus form signed by both parents or by the legal tutor properly informed of the study.
  • Parents able to understand the protocol requirements and to fill out the infants Diary.

Who cannot join

  • Infant with inborn malformation and with hereditary and/or chronic and/or inborn diseases requiring hospital care superior to 7 days.
  • Diseases jeopardizing intrauterine growth.
  • Infant born from mother suffering from dismetabolic and/or chronic diseases.
  • Unknown father
  • Infant with parents who might not report at hospital controls or not follow the protocol.
  • Infant already enrolled or selected for another clinical trial.

Trial locations and contacts

7 sites in 1 country.

7 sites in 1 country

Italy7 sites
  • "Casa Pia Ospitaliera Uboldo" Unità Operativa di Pediatria e Neonatologia

    Cernusco Sul Naviglio (Milan), 20063

  • Ospedale "Sacra Famiglia del Fatebenefratelli" Unità Operativa di Pediatria e Neonatologia

    Erba (Como), 22036

  • Ospedale "Santa Maria delle Stelle" Unità Operativa di Pediatria e Neonatologia

    Melzo (MI), 20066

  • Azienda ospedaliera "San Paolo", Dipartimento di Pediatria

    Milan, 20142

  • Ospedale "San Carlo Borromeo" Unità Operativa di Pediatria

    Milan, 20152

  • Azienda Ospedaliera "Luigi Sacco" Unità Operativa di Pediatria

    Milan, 20157

  • Ospedale Civile "G. da Saliceto" Unità Operativa di Pediatria

    Piacenza, 29100

Other trials in Italy

About this study

Official title: Randomized, Double Blind Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of an Infant Formula Supplemented With Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) in Healthy, Full Term Infants

The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and efficacy of an infant formula supplemented with a "prebiotic" component (GOS) in improving the gut microflora balance, mimicking that of breast-fed infants.

Read the detailed description

Oligosaccharides are one of the major breast milk components. They are not digested and reach the colon where they're used by selected groups of microflora positive bacteria, specifically bifidobacteria and lactobacilli.

Therefore, oligosaccharides have prebiotic effects accountable for health benefits in infants.

Over the last years the supplementation of infant formulae has been studied to mimic breast milk prebiotic functions enhancing gut microflora growth similar to that of breast fed infants.

However further scientific data are necessary to support the efficacy of the supplementation of oligosaccharide in infant formulae.

Being tested
Infant formula (with GOS)
Keywords
Formula, Feeding, Healthy, Full, Term, Infants

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Infant formula (with GOS)Other

    Infant formula supplemented with 0.4 g/100 ml of galacto-oligosaccharides

Study groups in NCT00486148
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
group "S"No interventionBreast milk
group "A"No interventionControl Infant formula
group "B"ExperimentalInfant formula supplemented with 0.4 g/100 ml of oligosaccharides
Receives: Other: Infant formula (with GOS)

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. The nutritional safety through anthropometric controls. Adverse events: diarrhea, crying, gaseous colics, regurgitation, vomit, skin rashes, fever.

    Measured: Anthropometric controls at birth, on enrolment, after 1, 2, 3, 4 months of life and just before starting weaning. Adverse events daily.

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. The prebiotic effect through the control of the feces consistency and frequency, the incidence of gaseous colics and microbiological analyses of the fecal samples.

    Measured: Feces consistency and frequency, and incidence of gaseous colics, microbiological analyses of the fecal samples on enrolment and after 1 and 2 months of life.

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted13 Jun 2007 (estimated)
  2. Study startFeb 2006
  3. Primary completionOct 2011
  4. Study completionJun 2013

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Quadruple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
360 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00486148
Sponsor's protocol ID
PLA-1-GOS-05
Status last verified
Mar 2015
First submitted
12 Jun 2007
Last updated
18 Mar 2015
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Publications

  • Mountzouris KC, McCartney AL, Gibson GR. Intestinal microflora of human infants and current trends for its nutritional modulation. Br J Nutr. 2002 May;87(5):405-20. doi: 10.1079/BJNBJN2002563.

    PubMed 12010580
  • Agostoni C, Axelsson I, Goulet O, Koletzko B, Michaelsen KF, Puntis JW, Rigo J, Shamir R, Szajewska H, Turck D; ESPGHAN Committee on Nutrition. Prebiotic oligosaccharides in dietetic products for infants: a commentary by the ESPGHAN Committee on Nutrition. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2004 Nov;39(5):465-73. doi: 10.1097/00005176-200411000-00003.

    PubMed 15572882
  • Gibson GR, Roberfroid MB. Dietary modulation of the human colonic microbiota: introducing the concept of prebiotics. J Nutr. 1995 Jun;125(6):1401-12. doi: 10.1093/jn/125.6.1401.

    PubMed 7782892
  • Macfarlane GT, Cummings JH. Probiotics and prebiotics: can regulating the activities of intestinal bacteria benefit health? BMJ. 1999 Apr 10;318(7189):999-1003. doi: 10.1136/bmj.318.7189.999. No abstract available.

    PubMed 10195977
  • Moro G, Minoli I, Mosca M, Fanaro S, Jelinek J, Stahl B, Boehm G. Dosage-related bifidogenic effects of galacto- and fructooligosaccharides in formula-fed term infants. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2002 Mar;34(3):291-5. doi: 10.1097/00005176-200203000-00014.

    PubMed 11964956
  • Boehm G, Lidestri M, Casetta P, Jelinek J, Negretti F, Stahl B, Marini A. Supplementation of a bovine milk formula with an oligosaccharide mixture increases counts of faecal bifidobacteria in preterm infants. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2002 May;86(3):F178-81. doi: 10.1136/fn.86.3.f178.

    PubMed 11978748
  • Schmelzle H, Wirth S, Skopnik H, Radke M, Knol J, Bockler HM, Bronstrup A, Wells J, Fusch C. Randomized double-blind study of the nutritional efficacy and bifidogenicity of a new infant formula containing partially hydrolyzed protein, a high beta-palmitic acid level, and nondigestible oligosaccharides. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2003 Mar;36(3):343-51. doi: 10.1097/00005176-200303000-00008.

    PubMed 12604972
  • Long SS, Swenson RM. Development of anaerobic fecal flora in healthy newborn infants. J Pediatr. 1977 Aug;91(2):298-301. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(77)80836-6.

    PubMed 874690
  • Rotimi VO, Duerden BI. The development of the bacterial flora in normal neonates. J Med Microbiol. 1981 Feb;14(1):51-62. doi: 10.1099/00222615-14-1-51.

    PubMed 7463467
  • Orrhage K, Nord CE. Factors controlling the bacterial colonization of the intestine in breastfed infants. Acta Paediatr Suppl. 1999 Aug;88(430):47-57. doi: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1999.tb01300.x.

    PubMed 10569223
  • Benno Y, Sawada K, Mitsuoka T. The intestinal microflora of infants: composition of fecal flora in breast-fed and bottle-fed infants. Microbiol Immunol. 1984;28(9):975-86. doi: 10.1111/j.1348-0421.1984.tb00754.x.

    PubMed 6513816
  • Lundequist B, Nord CE, Winberg J. The composition of the faecal microflora in breastfed and bottle fed infants from birth to eight weeks. Acta Paediatr Scand. 1985 Jan;74(1):45-51. doi: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1985.tb10919.x.

    PubMed 3984727
  • Howie PW. Protective effect of breastfeeding against infection in the first and second six months of life. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2002;503:141-7. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4615-0559-4_16. No abstract available.

    PubMed 12026013
  • Heine W, Mohr C, Wutzke KD. Host-microflora correlations in infant nutrition. Prog Food Nutr Sci. 1992;16(2):181-97.

    PubMed 1496120
  • Kunz C, Rodriguez-Palmero M, Koletzko B, Jensen R. Nutritional and biochemical properties of human milk, Part I: General aspects, proteins, and carbohydrates. Clin Perinatol. 1999 Jun;26(2):307-33.

    PubMed 10394490

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Infant formula (with GOS) in people with Nutritional Safety, run by Heinz Italia SpA at 7 sites in Italy.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 9 inclusion and 6 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 18 Mar 2015. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 7 sites in Italy. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

The nutritional safety through anthropometric controls. Adverse events: diarrhea, crying, gaseous colics, regurgitation, vomit, skin rashes, fever. (time frame: Anthropometric controls at birth, on enrolment, after 1, 2, 3, 4 months of life and just before starting weaning. Adverse events daily.). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00486148, which also lists 21 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 18 Mar 2015.

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