Could a natural compound in food help tame iron overload?

NCT ID NCT03453918

Disease control Sponsor: University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Aug 03, 2026 · Last updated Aug 04, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial tests whether taking polyphenol supplements with a meal can reduce how much iron the body absorbs in people with iron overload disorders like genetic hemochromatosis and dysmetabolic iron overload syndrome. Participants eat a standardized iron-rich meal with either polyphenol or placebo capsules on separate days, and researchers measure blood iron levels afterward. The goal is to see if polyphenols, which are natural iron-chelators, could help manage iron buildup.

What this could mean

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

Active substance: polyphenols (dietary supplement)
What this could lead to: If polyphenols reduce iron absorption, they could become a dietary strategy to help manage iron overload conditions, potentially reducing the need for phlebotomy.
What could go wrong: This is a small, early-stage trial. The effect may be modest or not translate to long-term benefits, and the supplement's impact on overall iron status is uncertain.

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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

41 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Apr 2018

Finished

Jul 2018

Lead sponsor

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

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: * 18 years old and over * Written consent. * For DIOS Group : at least one criteria of the metabolic syndrome as defined by the International Diabetes Federation, associated with hepatic iron overload measured by MRI (at least 50 µmol/g) or by hepatic biopsy. * For Genetic Haemochromatosis type 1 Group: homozygosity mutation C282Y in HFE gene ; patients undergoing therapeutic phlebotomies. Exclusion Criteria: * Persons under guardianship * Body-weight less than 45 kg * Hemoglobin less than 9 g/dL. * Intestinal malabsorption of any cause * Current use or previous use during the last 2 months of iron supplement. * Current use or previous use during the last 2 months of treatment interacting with iron absorption (increasing like C vitamin or decreasing like iron chelators) * Other causes of hyperferritinemia : chronic inflammatory syndrome, porphyria, hyperferritinemia-cataract-syndrome, chronic alcohol consumption, chronic hemolysis.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

hemochromatosis type 1 hereditary hemochromatosis metabolic syndrome X

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Dysmetabolic iron overload syndrome Genetic hemochromatosis Iron absorption Polyphenols

Could a natural compound in food help tame iron overload?

What the study statuses mean