Effects of Daily Almond Butter on Gut Microbiome and Cardiometabolic Health in Children Aged 6 to 13

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating the effects of daily almond butter consumption on gut microbiome composition and function, intestinal barrier integrity, and cardiometabolic health in children aged 6 to 13. This 8-week randomized controlled trial includes 70 school-aged participants and aims to explore almond butters impact on the gut-immune-metabolic axis using multi-omics analysis. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. The almond butter group will receive a daily snack of personalized-portion smooth natural almond butter spread between two plain unsalted saltine crackers, with the portion adjusted to provide 20% of each participants estimated daily caloric needs. The control group will receive an isocaloric nut-free chocolate spread snack prepared similarly. Both interventions will be added to the participants habitual diets and maintained for 8 weeks. Throughout the study, participants will complete assessments of gut and oral microbiome diversity, fecal and serum metabolomes, and intestinal barrier function at baseline, midpoint, and endpoint. Additional measures include fasting cardiometabolic markers, inflammation biomarkers, body composition, dietary intake, blood pressure, and sleep-related biomarkers. Adherence will be monitored through weekly logs and serum measurements, with detailed data collected to analyze the studys precision nutrition potential.

Almonds, Gut Microbiome and Kids