Diet vs. drugs: Plant-Based eating tested for diabetic nerve pain
NCT ID NCT07509671
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a whole-food, plant-based diet (no added oils) can reduce painful diabetic neuropathy better than standard medication. Forty adults with type 2 diabetes and nerve pain will be randomly assigned to either the diet or medication optimization. The main goal is to see if pain scores improve over time.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Plant-based diet (whole-food, no added oils)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a drug-free way to reduce nerve pain in people with type 2 diabetes.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 40 participants. Diet changes can be hard to stick with, and results may not apply to everyone.
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 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2024
- Expected to finish
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Feb 2028
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 years and older
- 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: * Definitive diagnosis of type II diabetes mellitus (HgA1c ≥ 6.5) or pre-diabetes (HgA1c 5.7-6.4) * objective documentation of peripheral neuropathy on EMG/NCS testing defined as a sural-to-radial amplitude ratio of 0.21 or less * presence of painful neuropathy in addition to decreased sensation * with pain rated ≥4/10 on a 0-10 numerical rating scale (NRS) * age 18 years or older * ability to provide informed consent * ability to attend follow-up visits. Exclusion Criteria: * Potential causes of neuropathy other than type II diabetes mellitus (as listed below) * type I diabetes * vitamin B12 deficiency * folate deficiency * thyroid dysfunction, * other nutritional deficiencies * autoimmune disorders * inflammatory disorders * HIV/AIDS * exposure to metals or toxins * multiple myeloma, * moderate to severe lumbar stenosis with neurogenic claudication
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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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AdventHealth Hendersonville
RECRUITINGHendersonville, North Carolina, 28759, United States
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