Bioavailability of Vitamin B12 in Bread Using Fermented Faba Bean as B12 Source in Healthy Volunteers (BeanBread)

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI · Oct 17, 2023

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial, called BeanBread, is studying how well our bodies can absorb vitamin B12 from a special type of bread made with fermented faba bean flour. Typically, vitamin B12 is found in animal products, but this study explores whether it can be effectively added to plant-based foods using a specific bacterium, Propionibacterium freudenreichii. Participants will eat two different types of bread: one that contains the vitamin B12 produced by this bacterium and a control bread made with a different bacterium that does not produce B12. The goal is to see how much vitamin B12 is absorbed by the body from these breads over a couple of days.

To participate in this study, you need to be healthy, with a body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 35. However, certain conditions would exclude you, such as having food allergies to the study ingredients, being pregnant or breastfeeding, or using vitamin B12 supplements regularly. If you join, you will eat the study breads for two days, and your blood will be tested to measure vitamin B12 levels. This study is double-blinded, meaning neither you nor the researchers will know which bread contains the vitamin B12, ensuring fair results.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Healthy
• • Body mass index between 18.5 and 35 kg/m2
• • No exclusion criteria listed below
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Food allergies against ingredients in foods supplemented in the study
• • pregnancy and/or breastfeeding
• • Regular use of food supplements containg B12
• • Blood donation within 3 months
• • Alcohol consumption more than 24 measures per week
• • Smoking, using snuff
• • Iron, B12 or folate deficiency
• • Anemia
• • small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
• • Gastritis
• • Helicobacter pylori infection
• • Acid reflux
• • Chron's disease
• • Celiac disease
• • Pancreatitis
• • Abdominal surgery
• • Eating disorder
• • Use of supplements containing vitamin B12 in the last year
• • Vitamin B12 injection treatment in the last year
• • Use of metformin, protein pump inhibitors or H2-receptor blockers