Ambler

Researchers are studying healthy households in the Irvine, CA area and at sites in Tempe, AZ and Philadelphia, PA to understand how adding fiber from chia seeds affects the microbiome, stool spore colony-forming units (SCFU), diet, and stress levels. This study uses a cross-over design where half of the participants add 2.5 tablespoons of chia seeds daily for the first 8 weeks and then return to their usual diet for the next 8 weeks, while the other half do the opposite. The purpose is to explore how fiber intake influences gut microbes, immune response, and overall microbiome composition over time.