Midnight munchies: new diet may shield night workers from harm
NCT ID NCT04868526
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a carefully designed diet can prevent or reduce the negative health effects of night shift work. Twenty-four healthy adults will complete two inpatient stays, eating identical meals and providing blood, urine, saliva, stool, and rectal swab samples. Researchers will measure changes in glucose tolerance and gut microbiome composition to see if the dietary intervention helps.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- dietary intervention
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward simple dietary strategies to protect night workers from health problems like poor blood sugar control.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small early-stage study (24 people) looking at short-term changes, not long-term health outcomes. 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 24 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2023
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2026
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 45 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: * 18-45 yr old * BMI 20.0-29.9 * European/Hispanic/African-American ancestry * No acute, chronic or debilitating medical conditions (e.g. metabolic, cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological, cancers, etc.) Exclusion Criteria: * Currently smoking/vaping or 5 or more years of smoking/vaping * History of drug or alcohol dependency * History of psychiatric illness or disorder
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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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Brigham and Women's Hospital
RECRUITINGBoston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
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