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Resistant Potato Starch for Gulf War Illness

This study is looking into whether a dietary fiber supplement called MSPrebiotic, made from resistant potato starch, can help people with Gulf War Illness (GWI). GWI can cause a range of symptoms including pain, fatigue, and gut problems. Researchers believe that changes in the gut microbiome (the community of bacteria in your gut) might play a role in GWI. This study will give participants MSPrebiotic and then check for changes in their gut microbiome and other related substances over two years. You might be able to join if you are between 50 and 85 years old, meet the definition for GWI with gut symptoms, and were deployed to the Persian Gulf during Operations Desert Storm or Desert Shield. The study is currently recruiting 52 participants, but its exact status is unclear.

Study design
This is an interventional study with a planned enrollment of 52 participants. The phase of the study is not specified.
What's involved
You would need to comply with all study procedures and be available for the duration of the study, including providing stool samples.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Changes in your gut microbiome and related substances will be measured at the end of the study period, which is 2 years.

AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.

NCT05820893

Resistant Potato Starch to Alleviate GWI

Recruiting
PHASE2Ages 50–85InterventionalTreatment
VA Office of Research and Development
~52 participants
Updated 2026-05-06 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:Resistant Potato Starch

At a glance

Recruiting sites
1 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Changes from baseline to the end of the study period in the composition of the gut microbiome
Measured over 2 years
+1 more outcome measured

Conditions

Gulf War Illness

Explore related trials

Gulf war syndrome

NCT05820893

Where you'd take part

This study runs at 1 site. They're the same protocol — you choose where, and that choice sets who your contact draft is addressed to.

  • William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, WI

    Madison, Wisconsinstudy coordinator listed

    Recruiting

Sites open and close at different times, so the status above is per site — it can differ from the study's overall status.

Study leadership

  • Nasia Safdar, MD PhD · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, WI

Who to contact

Nasia Safdar, MD PhD
[email protected]
(608) 280-7007
Email the study team

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

Moderate to severe GWI symptoms lasting at least 6 months in a minimum of three of the six symptom domains (one of which must be fatigue). The symptom domains are:
Pain (joint pain, muscle pain)
Gastrointestinal (diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, cramping)
Respiratory (persistent cough, wheezing)
Skin (rashes)
Fatigue (sleep problems, fatigue)
Neurologic (memory problems, headaches, dizziness, mood changes)

What this trial measures

  • Changes from baseline to the end of the study period in the composition of the gut microbiome2 years

    The gut microbiome will be assessed using next generation sequencing (shotgun metagenomics)

  • Changes from baseline to the end of the study period in the concentration of short-chain fatty acids and other metabolites identified in the gut microbiome2 years

    The metabolites in the gut will be identified through next-generation sequencing technology and both targeted and untargeted metabolomics.