NCT01657643

Brief Summary

The main purpose of the study is to find out if probiotics (healthy bacteria found in yogurt) can improve the health-related quality of life (HRQL) during upper respiratory infections (like the common cold) in college students living in residence hall on-campus at Framingham State University (Framingham, MA) who are randomized to receive a probiotic or placebo candy daily for 12 weeks. HRQL is a subjective measure, defined as the aspects of quality of life (i.e., one's satisfaction with their life) that related specifically to a person's health (for example, ability to carry out normal daily activities). The investigators hypothesize that HRQL during URIs will be significantly higher in the probiotic groups compared to the placebo group. The proposed study will also seek to address the following secondary objectives: missed school and work days due to a upper respiratory infection.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
231

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Jan 2011

Shorter than P25 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

January 1, 2011

Completed
4 months until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

May 1, 2011

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

May 1, 2011

Completed
1.2 years until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

July 28, 2012

Completed
9 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

August 6, 2012

Completed
Last Updated

May 28, 2015

Status Verified

May 1, 2015

Enrollment Period

4 months

First QC Date

July 28, 2012

Last Update Submit

May 26, 2015

Conditions

Keywords

Health related quality of lifeFunctional Status

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Health-related quality of life

    Subjects are asked to complete a questionnaire every day for 12 weeks that inquires about any common cold symptoms that they may be experiencing, severity of the symptoms, and how the symptoms interfere with their daily activities. Health-related quality of life is operationalized by total score on the questionnaire.

    12 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (1)

  • Missed work days

    Once per week over the course of 12 weeks

Other Outcomes (1)

  • Missed school days

    Once per week over the course of 12 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Placebo

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Every day for 12 weeks, subjects are asked to eat 5 grams of a placebo (strawberry-flavored candy powder)

Dietary Supplement: placebo

Probiotics

EXPERIMENTAL

Every day for 12 weeks, subjects are asked to eat 5 grams of a strawberry-flavored candy that contains probiotics \[daily dose minimum of 1 billion CFU of each Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG® (LGG®), and Bifidobacterium animalis ssp lactis BB-12® (BB-12®)\]

Dietary Supplement: Probiotics

Interventions

ProbioticsDIETARY_SUPPLEMENT
Also known as: Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG® (LGG®), Bifidobacterium animalis ssp lactis BB-12® (BB-12®)
Probiotics
placeboDIETARY_SUPPLEMENT
Placebo

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 25 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsAdult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

  • Student at Framingham State University (Framingham, MA)
  • Live in on-campus housing

You may not qualify if:

  • their driver's license or state identification card indicated that they were under 18 years of age or over 25 years of age;
  • they experienced chronic perennial allergies (such as, allergies to dust or 3) they were pregnant
  • \) they had been diagnosed with medical conditions affecting immune function (for example, asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome and human immunodeficiency virus) 5) they had acute pancreatitis, were undergoing treatment for cancer; or, were taking immunosuppressive drugs for an autoimmune disease or post-transplant.

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Framingham State University

Framingham, Massachusetts, 01701, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Respiratory Tract Infections

Interventions

Probiotics

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

InfectionsRespiratory Tract Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Dietary SupplementsFoodDiet, Food, and NutritionPhysiological PhenomenaFood and Beverages

Study Officials

  • Tracey J Smith, PhD

    University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
TRIPLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Tracey J. Smith, Doctoral Student

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

July 28, 2012

First Posted

August 6, 2012

Study Start

January 1, 2011

Primary Completion

May 1, 2011

Study Completion

May 1, 2011

Last Updated

May 28, 2015

Record last verified: 2015-05

Locations