Fasting two days a week could shrink fatty liver, new study hopes to prove
NCT ID NCT07530809
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a 5:2 intermittent fasting diet (eating only about 600 calories on two non-consecutive days each week) can reduce liver fat in people with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). 120 adults with obesity and significant liver fat will be randomly assigned to either the fasting diet or a standard healthy diet for comparison. The main goal is to see if liver fat decreases after the diet period.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- time-restricted feeding (5:2 intermittent fasting diet)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, drug-free way to reduce liver fat and improve metabolic health in people with fatty liver disease.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage behavioral study with no blinding. Results may not apply to everyone, and sticking to the diet long-term can be challenging.
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 120 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2025
- Expected to finish
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May 2029
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 75 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: * 18 and 75 years * Body mass index (BMI) \> 25 kg/m² * MASLD grade 3 with CAP ≥ 280 dB/m, excluding liver damage * Liver stiffness \< 13 kPa * Ability to understand the study and the individual consequences of participating in the study * Signed and dated consent form before the start of any study activity Exclusion Criteria: * Hepatocellular carcinoma or non-curatively treated carcinomas * Alcohol consumption \>20 g (women) and \>30 g (men) per day * Other liver diseases (HBV, HCV, HDV, HEV, HIV), autoimmune diseases or chronic cholestatic liver disease, hereditary haemochromatosis, Wilson's disease, α-1-antitrypsin deficiency * Medications that cause liver disease or secondary NAFLD (e.g. tamoxifen, systemic corticosteroids, methotrexate, tetracyclines, oestrogens, valproic acid) * Body weight changes of \> 5% in the last 6 months * Statins and/or other lipid-lowering drugs, if these have not been taken in a stable dose for at least 4 weeks * Uncontrolled type 2 diabetes defined as HbA1c value \> 9.0% or insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes * Pregnancy * Immunological or inflammatory diseases (e.g. systemic lupus erythematosus) * Following a restrictive, special diet * Patients who have undergone organ transplants * Lack of or absence of capacity to give consent
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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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Department of Internal Medicine II, Saarland University Medical Center, Saarland University,
RECRUITINGHomburg, Saarland, 66424, Germany
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