Gfree - For Improved Blood Sugar and Reduced Inflammation.
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: gluten-free, probiotic, gluten.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Diabetes, Celiac Disease, Autoimmunity, Metabolic Disease. Basic parameters: from 6 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Sweden
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
GFREE - A Study for Improved Blood Sugar Levels, Reduced Inflammation and for Increasing Knowledge of the Connection Between Diabetes and COVID-19.
Overview
The goal of this clinical trial is to reduce inflammation and improve glycemic control in healthy volunteers, parents, as well as children, adolescents and adults with or without diabetes. The main questions it aims to answer are: • does a reduction wheat gluten improve glycemic control and/or inflammatory biomarkers • does a reduction in certain amino acids (which is most common in wheat gluten) improve glycemic control and/or inflammatory biomarkers • can we identify individuals with an inflammatory response, which leads to poor glycemic control. Participants will eat gluten-free products as well as similar products containing gluten. They will also eat gluten together with probiotics to see if an effect of gluten can be reduced. Researchers will compare everyone with themselves (cross-over design) and if possible individuals with and without diabetes.
Detailed description
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Many diseases, which are common in high-income countries, have an inflammatory component. In the world's rich countries, about 10% of the population will be diagnosed with a traditional inflammatory autoimmune disease during their lifetime. In an autoimmune disease, the body produces auto-antibodies against the body's own protein and the immune system destroys the body's own tissues. There are hundreds of different types of autoimmune diseases where some of the most common are; celiac disease (gluten intolerance), psoriasis, type 1 diabetes (T1D), multiple sclerosis, rheumatic diseases or thyroid diseases. Diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes (T2D) and Alzheimer's disease are now also considered to have inflammatory components, and so-called auto-antibodies have been identified that indicate autoimmunity also in these diseases. Autoantibodies have also been identified in COVID-19 patients.
To try to understand the biology behind autoimmunity and inflammatory disease, the investigators have analyzed the entire genome of patients with celiac disease as a model for autoimmunity. Celiac disease is a good so-called model disease for autoimmunity because the autoimmune reaction can be switched on and off with the help of gluten in the diet. With a strict gluten-free diet, virtually all signs of illness disappear and the inflammation ceases. The results from our whole genome analysis showed that genes involved in amino acid signaling were important for disease development and pointed to associations between celiac disease, T2D and anorexia. These results were somewhat surprising and the investigators began to look at the role of nutritional signaling and amino acids in inflammatory processes further.
The purpose of this study is to test whether a reduction in certain amino acids (which is most common in wheat gluten) can improve glycemic control in healthy volunteers, parents, as well as children, adolescents and adults with diabetes and whether levels of inflammatory amino acids may be one of the factors behind the link between diabetes and severe COVID-19 infection.
The participants will, for 4 weeks, eat one week as usual, eat one week wheat gluten-free, one week wheat gluten and one week with gluten and probiotics. The participants will be provided with continuous glucose monitors and activity-tracking bracelets. The investigators will analyze the efficiency of glucose uptake using continuous glucose monitors (CGM). During these four weeks, the research subjects will be admitted for 4 clinical visits (baseline, after 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks) where blood samples will be taken. Also, during these weeks the participant will take capillary blood samples, faeces, urine, buccal swabs and saliva at home and fill out a questionnaire based on diet and risk factors for diabetes and questions about COVID-19.
Total number of participants: 60 Sampling occasions per participant: 15 Follow-up period per participant: 4 weeks Number of years for inclusion: 2 years (20221201-20241201)
Interventions
- Dietary supplement gluten-free
see info in arm description - Dietary supplement probiotic
see info in arm description - Dietary supplement gluten
see info in arm description
Primary outcome measures
- Stabilizing of blood sugar levels [Time frame: 0 days to 4 weeks]
- Amino acid metabolism [Time frame: 0 days to 4 weeks]
Secondary outcome measures (3)
- Blood Lipids [Time frame: 0 days to 4 weeks]
- Glutathione S Transferases [Time frame: 0 days to 4 weeks]
- Fibrinogen [Time frame: 0 days to 4 weeks]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
\- none
Exclusion criteria
\- A diagnosis of celiac disease
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- Non-randomized
- Model
- Crossover
- Masking
- Open label
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
Study locations
Sweden · 2 centers
- Sahlgrenska University Hospital — Gothenburg
- University of Skövde — Skövde
Identifiers
NCT: NCT05894746 · GFREE