Please consider participating in a Nutrition and Health Science research study, titled "Impaired Gut-Vascular Axis as a Unique Driver of Cardiovascular Disease in Metabolically Healthy Obesity: Part 2". This study is sponsored by the American Heart Association. Free health data and compensation are available. Your participation can help us better understand how fiber consumption influences gut and vascular health (IRB-FY2026-239).
If you choose to participate, we will ask you to complete five in-lab visits and consume a fiber supplement or a placebo (randomized) daily for six weeks. If you are assigned the placebo, you will be offered six weeks of fiber supplements at the end of the study. Each visit will include a blood draw and several measurements related to your vascular health. The total in-lab time commitment is ~9 hours over the five visits. Additionally, you will be asked to complete a food log, follow lifestyle controls, and wear a physical activity tracker on four occasions.
By completing our study, you will receive free health information such as:
- Markers of gut health and gut microbiome data
- Body composition (e.g., body fat %) and bone density with DXA
- Several measures of vascular health
- Metabolic markers (e.g., cholesterol, blood sugar)
- Inflammatory markers
You will receive $300 in Tango gift cards if you complete all study visits ($25 following visits 2-4 and $225 following visit 5). Initial screening criteria include an age of 18-55 and a BMI of ≥30 kg/m2 (calculate BMI here). In-lab visits will take place in the morning, and we will ask you to arrive fasted. Otherwise, scheduling is flexible. We have free and convenient parking. For more information about this IRB approved study (IRB- FY2026-239), please reach out to Alexis Quirk at arquirk@bsu.edu! You may also reach out to the principal investigator, Bryant Keirns at bryant.keirns@bsu.edu.