Beetroot juice may help prediabetes – study tests effects with and without metformin
NCT ID NCT07131384
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at whether short-term beetroot juice (a source of nitrate) can improve blood vessel function, insulin sensitivity, and exercise ability in adults with prediabetes. Researchers will compare people who take metformin with those who do not. The goal is to find simple, non-drug ways to support health in prediabetes.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 24 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2026
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 60 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Individuals who can communicate meaningfully with the investigator and can provide written consent. * Confirmed prediabetic individuals (ages 18-60 years old) (2-hour glucose of 140-199 mg/dL following OGTT test or HbA1c between 5.7-6.4% tested on two occasions within 6 months). * Taking metformin (stable dose for at least a week) or naïve to metformin * Sedentary (\<1 day/week of structured exercise) * Be able to perform exercise on a cycle ergometer without assistance * Stable medication regimen for the last 6 months * If female, have a normal menstrual cycle Exclusion Criteria: * Estimated Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) ≤ 45 * Body mass index ≥ 40 Kg/m2 * HbA1c \> 6.4% * Smokers within the last 5 years * Has experienced significant weight loss \~3 kg in the last three months or is taking any weight loss drugs * Current medical condition that prohibits exercising at high intensities * Currently on hormone replacement of any kind * History of myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular event, acute or unstable disease other than pre-diabetes or obesity * Currently taking any of the following medications (calcium channel blockers, statins, ACE or renin inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, organic nitrates (e.g., nitroglycerine) or recent regular use of inorganic nitrates, alpha- or beta-blockers, diuretics, proton pump inhibitors, PDE-5 inhibitors (e.g.,: Cialis, Viagra), or xanthine oxidase inhibitors (e.g.,: Allopurinol)) * Oral antibiotic use within the previous four weeks, including over-the-counter antibacterial mouthwash or a mouthwash containing chlorhexidine and unwilling to discontinue use * Oral cancer/severe oral disease * Uncontrolled hypertension (\>140/90) * Had hysterectomy or oophorectomy * Fetuses, neonates, children, prisoners, cognitively impaired, non-English speaking participants
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Virginia
RECRUITINGCharlottesville, Virginia, 22903, United States
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