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Completed

NCT Number: NCT06333223

Polyphenols and Probiotics to Improve Menopausal Symptoms Via the Gut-Brain Axis

Menopause is one of the most significant lifecourse challenges for women. The decline in female sex hormones, in particular estrogen, during menopause leads to an increased risk in cardiometabolic diseases, and a decrease in quality of life due to symptoms such as low mood, anxiety, hot flushes and difficulty sleeping. As life expectancy continues to increase, on average, women will spend one third of their life in the postmenopausal period. Increasing evidence suggests that the gut microbiota plays a key role in menopause-related symptoms and conditions, being one of the main regulators of circulating sex hormones. Menopause has been linked to gut dysbiosis and lower gut microbial diversity, therefore nutritional strategies targeting the gut microbiome may be an effective approach to improve women's health during menopause. Both (poly)phenols and probiotics are promising candidates for the prevention and treatment of menopausal symptoms via different mechanisms, including the modulation of the gut-brain axis, while emerging evidence indicates that using both together may be a better approach than traditional carbohydrate-based synbiotics.

To our knowledge, the efficacy of a (poly)phenol based synbiotic targeting the gut microbiome for improvement of menopausal symptoms has not been investigated so far.

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Key information

Conditions

Menopause

Age range

48 year–60 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Health Sciences Research Centre, Life Sciences Department, University of Roehampton, London, UK, United Kingdom

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About this study

The main aim of this work is to investigate whether a combination of (poly)phenols and probiotics will improve mood, anxiety and other menopausal symptoms via a gut microbiota related mechanism. This is a double-blind randomized crossover study with a total of 16 postmenopausal women (i.e participants will be divided into two groups with 8 participants in each group) and will test the effects of 8-week daily consumption of either a combination of a (poly)phenol supplement specifically designed to target the gut microbiota and a probiotic supplement specifically designed to target the gut-brain axis or the the (poly)phenol supplement and maltodextrin (placebo).

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Adults >48 years
  • Post-menopausal female subjects without clinical signs or symptoms of cardiovascular disease, no menstruation cycle for more than 1 year, postmenopausal status conformed by female hormone analysis
  • For intervention purposes, eligible participants are also required to have a mobile phone and be able to read and speak English.

Exclusion criteria

  • • People with comorbid conditions that may limit participation in the study, such as a history of an acute cardiovascular event, uncontrolled hypertension, cancer or major psychiatric or cognitive problems
  • People who are already participating in a weight loss programme
  • People receiving drug treatment for lipid metabolisms (e.g., statins
  • People with a history of long-term use of medicines known to influence glucose metabolism (e.g., corticosteroids)
  • People who take antibiotics or bacterial agents (Probiotics) within 1 month
  • Pregnant women, women ready for pregnancy, and nursing mothers
  • Post-menopausal female subjects without clinical signs or symptoms of cardiovascular disease
  • acute inflammation
  • cardiac arrhythmia
  • renal failure
  • heart failure (NYHA II-IV)
  • diabetes mellitus
  • C-reactive protein > 0.5 mg/dL
  • malignant disease
  • hypotension (≤100 / 60 mm Hg)
  • Women who require hormone replacement therapy during the development of the protocol.

Treatment and study plan

Mixture of (Poly)phenols and a probiotic supplement

Dietary Supplement

Mixture of (Poly)phenols and a probiotic supplement

Placebo Comparator

Dietary Supplement

Mixture of (Poly)phenols and a placebo maltodextrin comparator

Other names: (Poly)phenols and maltodextrin

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in blood chemistry levels

    Time frame: Change from baseline to 8 and 16 weeks of the intervention

    To investigate whether a combination of (poly)phenols and probiotics intervention lowers the blood chemitry parameters compared to the baseline

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in BMI (body mass index) Scores

    Time frame: Change from baseline to 8 and 16 weeks of the intervention

    To test whether a combination of (poly)phenols and probiotics intervention affect body mass index express in kg/m^2

  2. Change in the gut microbiota diversity

    Time frame: Change from baseline to 8 and 16 weeks of the intervention

    To test whether a combination of (poly)phenols and probiotics intervention impact on the faecal microbiota composition and microbial composition express as ratio compared to the baseline levels

  3. Change in dietary habits

    Time frame: Change from baseline to 8 and 16 weeks of the intervention

    To test whether a combination of (poly)phenols and probiotics intervention impact an assessment of dietary intake in the study population using a validated four-day food diary compared to the baseline levels

  4. Change in Quality IPAQ

    Time frame: Change from baseline to 8 and 16 weeks of the intervention

    To test whether a combination of (poly)phenols and probiotics intervention impact an assessment of physical activity questionnaire in the study population using a validated four-day food diary compared to the baseline levels

  5. Change in inflammatory biomarkes

    Time frame: Change from baseline to 8 and 16 weeks of the intervention

    To test whether a combination of (poly)phenols and probiotics intervention impact CRP, IL10,IL-6 and INFY levels in the study population using ELISA immunoassays compared to the baseline levels

  6. Change in SCFAs metabolites (mmol/L)

    Time frame: Change from baseline to 8 and 16 weeks of the intervention

    To test whether a combination of (poly)phenols and probiotics intervention impact SCFAs profile in the study population using LCMS compared to the baseline levels.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Roehampton

Other

Collaborators

  • King's College

Registry information

Acronym: SYMPTOGUT

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2026
First posted
Mar 27, 2024
Registry last updated
May 19, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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