Effects of Mixed Spices on Cardiometabolic Function - the PolySPice (PSP) Study
Condition: Cardiometabolic Risk
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The study will investigate whether having mixed spices rich in polyphenols can improve
      postprandial cardiometabolic response in healthy Chinese men.
    

Detailed description: 
      Spices have been used for centuries to enhance food flavouring and to maintain health. Use of
      spices as a culinary ingredient is common amongst people of all ethnicities within South and
      East Asia. Spices are also one of the main sources of polyphenols in the Asian diet. Several
      in vitro studies and some in vivo studies, mainly in animals have shown that individual
      spices, including turmeric (containing curcumin), cinnamon (cinnimic acid), ginger, garlic
      etc. have been shown to improve glucose and lipid metabolism.However, well-controlled
      randomised trials, within the normal dietary context in humans are limited.

      This study will be conducted using a three-way randomised crossover design using the Latin
      square approach. In the two treatment sessions, each volunteer will consume a mixed spice
      dish at two doses (i.e., 'small portion' or 'large portion' curry sauce), and rice as the
      base ingredient. In the control session, the same base ingredient (rice) but without the
      mixed spices will be served. The total amount of mixed spices consumed, to be made from dried
      powders of turmeric, cumin, coriander, gooseberry (amla), cinnamon, clove and cayenne pepper,
      will be 6 g and 12 g for small and large portion curries respectively. In addition, as added
      vegetables, the curry meals will contain tomato, garlic, onion and ginger, whereas the
      control meal will just have tomato and peeled aubergine, although, the total amount of
      vegetables will remain the same across all dishes (treatment or control).

      The primary objective of this study will be to measure postprandial and fasting changes in
      blood glucose, insulin, triglycerides (TG), free fatty acids (FFA), 24h ambulatory blood
      pressure (BP), endothelial function and inflammatory markers following consumption of
      increasing doses of mixed spices in a single meal, on separate occasions.

      The secondary objective of the study will be to monitor changes in blood levels of gut
      hormones, plasma and urine metabolome including polyphenols such as benzoate and hippurate,
      gut microflora content and function, as a result of the mixed spice intake. A subset of the
      treatments (control and high spice dose only) will also have interstitial glucose monitored
      continuously for a period of up to 3 days using the continuous glucose monitoring system
      (CGMS).
    

Intervention name(s): Rice with tomatoes and peeled aubergine (no spice); Rice with vegetables and low spice; Rice with vegetables and high spice
Intervention type(s): Other; Other; Other
Intervention description(s): Dose 0; Dose 1, Rice with mixed spices (turmeric, coriander, cumin, gooseberry cayenne pepper, cinnamon, clove), tomatoes, peeled aubergine, onion, ginger and garlic; Dose 2, Rice with mixed spices (turmeric, coriander, cumin, gooseberry cayenne pepper, cinnamon, clove), tomatoes, onion, ginger and garlic
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Crossover Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Other