Use of Beetroot Juice to Protect Against Postoperative Ileus Following Colorectal Surgery: BEET IT Study

Recruiting now · Phase 2

Conditions studied: Postoperative Ileus

In brief

The goal of the BEET IT study is to examine if preoperative intake of beetroot juice can ameliorate gastrointestinal (GI) recovery after colorectal surgery and thereby help to reduce the duration of postoperative ileus (POI) and prevent prolonged POI. Adult patients undergoing laparoscopic colorectal surgery are randomized 1:1 to consume either concentrated beetroot juice (active intervention) or nitrate-depleted concentrated beetroot juice (placebo) during the week before their surgery. Blood, tissue and/or fecal samples are collected at specific time points pre- and/or postoperatively to study markers related to inflammation, oxidative stress and GI function. Patients are followed from the week before surgery (start of the intervention) until 3 months post-surgery. The study takes place at 5 hospitals in Flanders, Belgium.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT05133024

Run by

University Hospital, Ghent

People needed

170

Starts

2021-03-31

Expected to finish

2027-12-30

Last updated by the study team

2026-02-10

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Adult patients undergoing elective colonic and upper rectum laparoscopic surgery requiring an anastomosis, without the need of conversion

You may not qualify if…

• General:
• < 18 years of age
• Pregnancy or breast feeding
• Medical:
• Psychiatric pathology capable of affecting comprehension and judgment faculty
• History of inflammatory bowel disease
• Chronic vascular disease affecting the intestines
• Chronic constipation (<= 2 bowel movements/week)
• Previous abdominal or pelvic radiation treatment
• Recent (< 3 months before inclusion) or current intra-abdominal infection or inflammation (e.g. diverticulitis, appendicitis, cholecystitis)
• Use of gut motility influencing agents (e.g. tricyclic antidepressants, chronic use of laxatives)
• Use of nitrates (e.g. isosorbide dinitrate, nitroglycerin), including daily consumption of beetroot juice (unless stopped for a month prior to the intervention period)
• Hypotension (< 100/60 mmHg)
• Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus
• Renal or hepatic insufficiency
• Known allergies or intolerances to beetroot, nitrates/nitrites
• Enrollment in other clinical trials/experiments, unless approved by the Ethics Committee(s)
• Surgical:
• History of prior colorectal surgery
• Emergency surgery
• Open surgery
• Colorectal surgery not requiring an anastomosis (e.g. colotomy, wedge resection)
• More than 1 bowel anastomosis planned
• Concomitant surgical procedures required (e.g. resection of liver or lung metastases)
• Protective stoma planned

Where it is running

• Antwerp University Hospital — Edegem, Belgium (enrolling)
• AZ Sint-Lucas Ghent — Ghent, Belgium (enrolling)
• Ghent University Hospital — Ghent, Belgium (enrolling)
• University Hospital Leuven — Leuven, Belgium (enrolling)
• VITAZ — Sint-Niklaas, Belgium (enrolling)
• Hospital East-Limburg — Genk, Belgium

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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