PoChoSpike

After we eat, our blood sugar naturally rises. These post-meal rises, often called “glucose spikes” or “sugar spikes,” are part of normal physiology. However, when spikes are too high or happen repeatedly, they contribute to long-term metabolic and cardiovascular stress, as well as increasing the probability of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Thus, predicting which foods produce excessive glucose spikes could improve the long-term health of all of us, especially those affected by metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.

Why can classical dietary recommendations not predict, and therefore reduce, glucose spikes?
Classical dietary recommendations assume that we all react in the same way to food, which is not true. Rigorous research in thousands of people has demonstrated that people react very differently to the same foods. One person may show a strong glucose spike after potatoes and not after chocolate, while another may react in the opposite way.

The PoChoSpike study aims to understand these individual responses and to help develop more personalized, science-based dietary recommendations. We investigate how and why blood sugar changes after meals differently in each person by interrogating the role of a very important character in this story: the gut microbiome.
PoChoSpike asks, for the first time, not only which microbes are responsible but, more importantly, how they actually perform this function of generating glucose spikes. The study uses metaproteomics to measure microbial and human proteins in stool samples. This allows us to study the functional activity of the gut ecosystem and how it may help explain individual glucose responses.

Participation in PoChoSpike takes place over 14 days and combines one study visit with easy at-home measurements.

1. Informed Consent: Before taking part, you will receive information about the study and sign an informed consent form.
2. Baseline Questionnaire: You will complete a simple digital questionnaire about lifestyle, diet, medication, and general health.
3. Body and Health Measurements: Trained study personnel will measure weight, height, waist and hip circumference, body composition, blood pressure, and resting heart rate.
4. Blood Sampling: A blood sample will be collected to measure metabolic and health-related markers such as HbA1c, blood counts, cholesterol, liver enzymes, thyroid-related markers, electrolytes, creatinine, and inflammatory markers.
5. Continuous Glucose Monitoring: You will wear a small and painless continuous glucose monitor for 14 days, like the one you may have seen on the back of the upper arm of millions of people. The sensor records glucose patterns throughout daily life.
6. Food Recording: During the study period, you will record your food intake using a digital dietary assessment tool. This allows us to link meals to glucose responses.
7. Stool Sample Collection: You will collect three stool samples at home using an easy-to-use and validated collection kit: one at the beginning of the study, one in the middle, and one at the end.
8. Metaproteomics and Data Analysis: Your stool samples will be analyzed using state-of-the-art metaproteomics to identify microbial and human functional signatures. The study team will then combine these results with glucose data, dietary records, blood measurements, and body measurements using AI-based analysis.
9. Personalized Feedback: After analysis, participants will receive a personalized “spike-food” profile summarizing foods that were associated with stronger glucose responses during the study. VERY IMPORTANT: all your data are anonymized and will never be shared with anyone outside the study team.

General dietary advice cannot fully explain why the same food triggers a strong glucose spike in one person and not in another. Understanding these differences is essential for future personalized nutrition and, overall, for the health of our society.

By participating in PoChoSpike, you will contribute to research that aims to move beyond one-size-fits-all dietary recommendations. Your participation will help us understand how food, metabolism, and gut microbiome function interact in daily life. The results may support the development of future health tools and personalized prevention strategies for metabolic health.

Benefits of Participating:

Participants will get to know how their blood sugar responds to everyday foods. You will be able to use this personalized “spike-food” profile to make more informed, healthier food choices based on your own physiology. You'll have full control over your data, and we have implemented an anonymization method that makes it impossible to link your biological data with your identity. 

Everyone over 18 years old who is interested in nutrition, metabolism, gut microbiome research, and improving their health.

Participation may be suitable for people who are willing to wear a painless glucose sensor for 14 days, record their food intake, provide three stool samples, attend a study visit, and allow the research team to combine these data for scientific analysis.

Final eligibility and participation details will be confirmed by the study team.

Do you want to participate?
We only have 30 participant slots, so if you are interested, hurry up and send us an email with the subject: Interested in participating in the PoChoSpike study, to coe.metaproteomics.pharmazie(at)univie.ac.at.

Study Title: A Potato or a Chocolate Spiker? – Predicting Healthy & Personalized Diets
Study Name: PoChoSpike
Lead Investigator: Dr. David Gómez Varela, Center of Excellence for Metaproteomics, University of Vienna
Study Team: Prof. Karl-Heinz Wagner, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Vienna; Prof. Manuela Schmidt, Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna
Funding: Health in Society Research Network, University of Vienna (https://gig.univie.ac.at/en/)
Duration of Participation: 14 days
Participants: 30 adult volunteers

Clinical trial registration details will be added here once available.