Gut Bugs in Anorexia Nervosa Study

Gut Bugs in Anorexia Nervosa is an open label pilot study which will investigate whether microbiome transfer is a safe and acceptable treatment for restoring the gut microbiome in people with anorexia nervosa.

The gut microbiome refers to the collection of bacteria that naturally live in our gut. These bacteria help us to digest and extract nutrients from food. The chemicals they produce have also been shown to influence our mood, appetite, and anxiety levels.

Recent studies have shown that the gut microbiome in people with anorexia nervosa is different to the gut microbiome in healthy people.

Gut microbiome transfer is an emerging therapy for microbiome restoration that involves the transfer of gut bacteria from healthy donors to people with a disordered gut microbiome. Gut microbiome transfer is commonly used to treat severe forms of diarrhoea and is currently being tested in various metabolic and neurological conditions.

We are looking for women who:

• Are aged 16-32 years
• Have been diagnosed with anorexia nervosa

This study is important because it might be possible to aid recovery in people with anorexia nervosa by restoring a healthy gut microbiome.

This study will help determine whether gut microbiome transfer is a safe and acceptable therapy option for restoring a healthy gut microbiome in people with anorexia nervosa.

The findings will also help researchers understand more about how the gut microbiome contributes to health and wellbeing in general.

Study participants will swallow capsules containing the gut bacteria taken from healthy female donors. The bacteria will be safely stored inside two layers of capsules. The capsules have no taste or smell and will only start to break down once inside the gut (not in the mouth or stomach).

Participants will take a total of 20 capsules over four consecutive days (5 capsules per day), first thing in the morning before breakfast.

In addition to taking the treatment capsules, participants will complete three clinical assessments over a 12 week period; these will include providing stool samples, having a body composition scan and answering questionnaires about eating habits, mental well-being and thoughts about the treatment.

Participating in this study will help the researchers understand whether microbiome transfer is a safe and acceptable treatment option for people with anorexia nervosa.
In addition, participants will receive valuable information on their own individual gut health.

Because the treatment involves the transfer of live gut bacteria, there is a risk of introducing an infection or allergen. We minimise this risk by using strict selection criteria for donors that are over and above those used for blood donation in New Zealand. Donors are extensively screened to ensure they do not have any bacteria or viruses that could potentially cause an infection. Only donors which pass these screening tests are included in the study.

All assessments will be done at the Liggins Institute Clinical Research Unit where a medical doctor or a research nurse is present to ensure that care is provided during the study.

Contact us at gutbugsanorexia@auckland.ac.nz