AzTrials
AzTrials

Spinal Cord InjuryNCT04271904

Effect of Sham Anti-inflammatory Diet on Inflammation After Spinal Cord Injury

A study of Spinal Cord Injury and Inflammation, run by London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's at 1 site in Canada.

Completed

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

Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

This pilot study will evaluate the effects of a placebo anti-inflammatory diet in individuals with spinal cord injury. It is being performed to ensure that the placebo diet does not induce reductions in inflammation and also adequately conceals group allocation. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Spinal Cord Injury, Inflammation
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
16 participants
Where
1 siteCanada
Study dates
1 Oct 2020to 3 Jun 2022
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 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Signed informed consent obtained prior to any study-related activities
  • A spinal cord injury at least 6 months duration, nonprogressive for at least 6 months
  • Dosing of other pain medications (NSAIDs, opioids, non-opioid analgesics, anti-epileptic drugs, antidepressants) should be stable for at least 1 month prior to study entry.

Who cannot join

  • Current infection of any kind.
  • Presence of other neurologic conditions, medical conditions or pain that could confound the assessment of neuropathic pain after SCI
  • Currently enrolled in another clinical trial
  • Any other significant disease or disorder which, in the opinion of the investigator, may either put the patient at risk because of participation in the study, may influence the result of the study, or affect the patient's ability to participate in the study
  • Following a physical examination, the patient has any abnormalities that, in the opinion of the investigator would prevent the patient from safe participation in the study

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Canada1 site
  • Parkwood Institute

    London, Ontario, N6C 5J1

Other trials in Canada

About this study

Official title: Effect of a Sham Anti-inflammatory Diet on Inflammation and Participant Blinding in Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Study

This pilot study will evaluate the effects of a placebo anti-inflammatory diet in individuals with spinal cord injury. It is being performed to ensure that the placebo diet does not induce reductions in inflammation and also adequately conceals group allocation.

Read the detailed description

Anti-inflammatory diet is a novel treatment that may be beneficial for managing chronic inflammation and neuropathic pain (NP) after Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). NP is a common complication following SCI that significantly decreases quality of life. Treatment options are limited, and current treatments can have significant side effects. Those with SCI have identified a need for additional treatment options, particularly those that are not medications.

As pain is a subjective outcome, awareness of group allocation could influence treatment expectations and participant rated scores of neuropathic pain. It is therefore important to ensure that an adequate placebo intervention is utilized. This pilot study will assess whether the placebo diet to be used in an upcoming RCT provides sufficient group allocation concealment (i.e. ensure participants are unaware of whether they are on the anti-inflammatory diet or placebo diet). This pilot study will also assess whether the placebo diet is in fact inflammation neutral (ie. induces no reductions in inflammation).

Being tested
Placebo Diet
Medical subject headings
Spinal Cord Injuries, Inflammation

What participants receive

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

  • Placebo DietOther

    The dietitian will assist in developing a diet that is isocaloric to the anti-inflammatory diet and healthy (for the sake of the participants' well-being, and to blind participants), while allowing many foods that are (counterintuitively) pro-inflammatory (e.g. whole wheat bread, white beans, oats, soy, eggplant, raspberries, pumpkin seeds, popcorn, etc). Occasional "cheat" foods are built into the placebo diet but with more pro-inflammatory options (e.g. two glasses of wine per week).

Study groups in NCT04271904
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Placebo DietSham comparatorParticipants on the placebo diet will be given a meal plan and recipes by the study dietitian. The dietitian will assist in developing a diet that is isocaloric to the anti-inflammatory diet and healthy (for the sake of the participants' well-being, and to blind participants), while allowing many foods that are (counterintuitively) pro-inflammatory (e.g. whole wheat bread, white beans, oats, soy, eggplant, raspberries, pumpkin seeds, popcorn, etc). There are many counter-intuitive restrictions in the anti-inflammatory diet that we will be using (banned foods include white beans, soy, eggplant, oats, raspberries, strawberries, prunes, walnuts, cashews, soy milk. Allowed foods include maple syrup, honey, lean beef, lamb, brown rice, feta cheese, butter). Therefore, even fairly astute and educated participants may have trouble discerning which diet they are consuming (anti-inflammatory or placebo).
Receives: Other: Placebo Diet
Non-dieting ControlNo interventionThose in the non-dieting control condition will not be asked to alter their diet in any way.

What is being measured

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

  1. C-Reactive Protein

    Change in plasma C-reactive protein from baseline to post intervention.

    Measured: Baseline and Week-5 (post measures collected following 1-week group allocation period and 4-week intervention)

  2. Diet Compliance

    Diet compliance will be assessed following the intervention. Compliance to the specific diet will be assessed by a detailed analysis of all diet records. Each food item will be categorized as either a "food to consume," a "food to avoid," or a "neutral food" based on the parameter of the diet participants who were instructed to follow. Food will also be categorized into servings in accordance with Canada's Food Guide. Therefore, compliance score will be based on standard servings of foods subjects were instructed to eat vs. foods they were instructed to avoid. To account for differences in total energy intake, compliance scores will be expressed as a ratio of the servings of foods to consume over the total servings of food (avoid + consume) multiplied by 100. The percent compliance will then be generated.

    Measured: Week-5 (post measures collected following 1-week group allocation period and 4-week intervention)

Timeline

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

  1. First posted17 Feb 2020
  2. Study start1 Oct 2020
  3. Primary completion3 Jun 2022
  4. Study completion3 Jun 2022

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
Model description
Eligible participants who consent to study participation will be randomized to one of two groups: placebo diet, or non-dieting control. Those on the placebo diet will be given a meal plan and recipes while the non-dieting control group will be asked to continue eating as usual. The intervention will run for 4-week period.
Masking
Triple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator
Enrolment
16 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04271904
Sponsor's protocol ID
AINP001
Status last verified
Jan 2023
First submitted
10 Feb 2020
Last updated
17 Jan 2023
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Loh E, Guy SD, Mehta S, Moulin DE, Bryce TN, Middleton JW, Siddall PJ, Hitzig SL, Widerstrom-Noga E, Finnerup NB, Kras-Dupuis A, Casalino A, Craven BC, Lau B, Cote I, Harvey D, O'Connell C, Orenczuk S, Parrent AG, Potter P, Short C, Teasell R, Townson A, Truchon C, Bradbury CL, Wolfe D. The CanPain SCI Clinical Practice Guidelines for Rehabilitation Management of Neuropathic Pain after Spinal Cord: introduction, methodology and recommendation overview. Spinal Cord. 2016 Aug;54 Suppl 1:S1-6. doi: 10.1038/sc.2016.88.

    PubMed 27444714
  • Guy SD, Mehta S, Casalino A, Cote I, Kras-Dupuis A, Moulin DE, Parrent AG, Potter P, Short C, Teasell R, Bradbury CL, Bryce TN, Craven BC, Finnerup NB, Harvey D, Hitzig SL, Lau B, Middleton JW, O'Connell C, Orenczuk S, Siddall PJ, Townson A, Truchon C, Widerstrom-Noga E, Wolfe D, Loh E. The CanPain SCI Clinical Practice Guidelines for Rehabilitation Management of Neuropathic Pain after Spinal Cord: Recommendations for treatment. Spinal Cord. 2016 Aug;54 Suppl 1:S14-23. doi: 10.1038/sc.2016.90.

    PubMed 27444715
  • Allison DJ, Thomas A, Beaudry K, Ditor DS. Targeting inflammation as a treatment modality for neuropathic pain in spinal cord injury: a randomized clinical trial. J Neuroinflammation. 2016 Jun 17;13(1):152. doi: 10.1186/s12974-016-0625-4.

    PubMed 27316678

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study of Spinal Cord Injury and Inflammation, run by London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's at 1 site in Canada.

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 3 inclusion and 5 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 17 Jan 2023. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Canada. 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. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. 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?

C-Reactive Protein (time frame: Baseline and Week-5 (post measures collected following 1-week group allocation period and 4-week intervention)). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. 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 NCT04271904, which also lists 3 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 17 Jan 2023.

Free account

Log in to keep searching

You’ve used your 3 free searches. AzTrials is free: log in or create a free account to keep searching clinical trials and save the ones you want to follow.

Create a free accountLog in