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Can fish oil shrink a fatty liver?

NCT ID NCT00230113

Disease control Sponsor: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 21, 2026 · Last updated Jul 22, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests whether taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements (fish oil) can reduce the amount of fat in the liver of people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Participants take either fish oil or a placebo oil (safflower oil) daily for a period of time. The main goal is to see if liver fat decreases, measured by a special MRI scan.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
fish oil (omega-3 fatty acid) dietary supplement
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a simple dietary supplement to reduce liver fat in people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early study with only 30 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The supplement may not reduce liver fat more than the control oil.

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

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

About 30 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Start date

Sep 2005

Finished

Jun 2010

Lead sponsor

A government research agency

The lead sponsor is the US National Institutes of Health.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

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

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Acceptance into NASH CRN Database Study * Exclusion from or unwillingness to participate in the NASH CRN PIVENS Study * Histological diagnosis or imaging study suggesting NAFLD with at least 20% steatosis * Willingness to maintain study diet for duration of the study * At least 18 years of age * No contraindication for MRI scanning (i.e., pacemaker, shunts etc) Exclusion Criteria: * Use of lipid lowering drugs (i.e., statins and fibrate drugs) * Use of insulin or thiazolidinediones * Use of drugs possibly associated with NAFLD (amiodarone, methotrexate, systemic glucocorticoids, tetracycline, tamoxifen, estrogens at doses greater than those used for hormone replacement, anabolic steroids, valproic acid, or other known hepatotoxins) for more than 2 consecutive weeks in the 2 years prior to screening * Initiation of anti-diabetic drugs (insulin, biguanides, sulfonylureas, metformin, thiazolidinediones) in the 3 months prior to randomization * Initiation of anti-NASH drugs (thiazolidinediones, vitamin E, metformin, UDCA, SAM-e, betaine, milk thistle, gemfibrozil, anti-TNF therapies, probiotics) in the 3 months prior to randomization

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • University of Washington Medical Center

    Seattle, Washington, 98195, United States

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