Sugar test during surgery may unlock secrets of fatty liver disease
NCT ID NCT07326865
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at how the liver reacts to a sugar injection during bariatric surgery in people with obesity, comparing those with and without fatty liver disease (MASLD). Forty adults will receive either a sugar solution or salt water during surgery, and small tissue samples will be taken to measure changes in gene activity. The goal is to understand why MASLD develops and how the liver handles sugar, which could lead to better ways to diagnose or treat the condition.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- labeled glucose (intravenous)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this study could reveal how the liver processes sugar differently in people with MASLD, pointing toward new ways to understand or treat the disease.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage observational study (40 participants) that does not test a treatment. Results may not apply to broader populations or lead directly to therapies.
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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Nov 2025
- Expected to finish
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May 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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35 to 65 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: To be eligible to participate in this study, a subject must meet all of the following criteria: Adult individuals, age \>35 \< 65 years old. Stable weight (no more than 3% TWL of initial body weight from screening to surgery) Subjects should be able to give informed consent Subjects agree to have tissue biopsies performed during surgery, that is 2 liver, subcutaneous, visceral and omental biopsies plus a one-time jejunal biopsy. For obese non-MASLD patients: * Adult individuals, age \>35 \< 65 years old. * BMI ≥ 40 kg/m², or a BMI ≥ 35 kg/m² with an obesity-related comorbidity * No MASLD based on Fibroscan * Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) \> 60mL/min/1.73m2 For obese MASLD patients: * MASLD diagnosis according to Fibroscan * Compensated liver disease with the following hematologic and biochemical criteria on entry into study: * ALAT \<10x ULN * Hemoglobin \> 11g/dL for females and 12 g/dL for males * White blood cell (WBC) \> 2.5 K/ μL * Neutrophil count \> 1.5 K μL * Platelets \> 100 K/μL * Total bilirubin \<35 μmol/L * Albumin \>30 g/L * TP \>80% or INR \<1.4 * Serum creatinine \<1.3 mg/dL (men) or \<1.1 mg/dL (women) or * Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) \> 60mL/min/1.73m2 Exclusion Criteria: A potential subject who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this study: * Use of metformin and SGLT2/ exogenous insulin/GLP-1 RA * Primary lipid disorder * Known genetic basis for insulin resistance or glucose intolerance * All medical and psychiatric conditions except for obesity related diseases. * Uncontrolled hypertension (RR \> 150/95 mmHg) * Chronic kidney disease (creatinine \> 150 umol/L) * Pregnancy, females who are breastfeeding * Evidence of another form of liver disease * History of sustained excess alcohol ingestion: daily consumption \>30g/day (3 drinks per day) for males and \>20 g/day (2 drinks per day) for females * Significant systemic or major illnesses other than liver disease, including congestive heart failure (class C and D of the AHA), unstable coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, pulmonary disease, kidney failure, organ transplantation, serious psychiatric disease, active malignancy, compromised immunity * Body mass index (BMI) \>45 kg/m2 * Type 1 or type 2 diabetes * Hemostasis disorders or current treatment with anticoagulants * Known heart failure * Contra-indication for liver biopsy History of/or current cardiac dysrhythmias and/or a history of cardiovascular events including myocardial infarction, except patients with only well-controlled hypertension
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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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AMC
RECRUITINGAmsterdam, North Holland, 1105AZ, Netherlands
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can a cold cloth on the neck calm Post-Surgery nausea?