Can vitamin e tame fatty liver? new study tests the right dose
NCT ID NCT04801849
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested different doses of vitamin E in 200 adults with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to find the best dose for improving liver health. Participants took vitamin E or a placebo for 24 weeks, and researchers measured changes in a key liver enzyme (ALT). The goal was to see if vitamin E could help control the disease, not cure it.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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200 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Aug 2022
- Finished
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Jun 2025
- Lead sponsor
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A government research agency
The lead sponsor is the US National Institutes of Health.
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: * 18 years of age or older as of the initial screening interview and provision of consent * FibroScan CAP\>280 dB/m within 60 days prior to randomization. * ALT ≥ 60 U/L within 30 days of randomization Exclusion Criteria: * Concurrent or prior use (within 90 days) of vitamin E supplements in excess of 40 IU/day * Current or history of significant alcohol consumption for a period of more than 3 consecutive months within 1 year prior to screening (significant alcohol consumption is defined as more than 20 g/day (\~1.5 drinks/day) (\> 10.5 drinks per week) in females and more than 30 g/day (\~2 drinks/day) (\>14 drinks per week) in males, respectively. One "standard" drink (or one alcoholic drink equivalent) contains roughly 14 grams of pure alcohol, which is found in: 12 ounces of regular beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits). * Inability to reliably quantify alcohol consumption based upon local study physician judgment * Continued use of drugs historically associated with NAFLD (amiodarone, methotrexate, systemic glucocorticoids, tetracyclines, tamoxifen, estrogens at doses greater than those used for hormone replacement, anabolic steroids, valproic acid, and other known hepatotoxins) for more than 2 weeks in the 6 months prior to randomization * Current use of anticoagulation therapy (not including antiplatelet agents such as aspirin or clopidogrel) * Platelet count below 150,000 /mm3 within 90 days of randomization * History of condition(s) that cause increased risk of bleeding, including hemophilia A, hemophilia B, von Willebrand disease, or other clotting factor deficiencies. * Prior or planned (during the study period) bariatric surgery (eg, gastroplasty, roux-en-Y gastric bypass) * Uncontrolled diabetes defined as HbA1c 9.5% or higher within 60 days prior to randomization * Clinical evidence of hepatic decompensation as defined by the presence of any of the following abnormalities: * Serum albumin less than 3.2 g/dL * International Normalized Ratio (INR) greater than 1.3 * Direct bilirubin greater than 1.0 mg/dL * History of esophageal varices, ascites or hepatic encephalopathy * Evidence of other forms of chronic liver disease: * Hepatitis B as defined by presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) * Hepatitis C as defined by presence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA * Evidence of ongoing autoimmune liver disease as defined by compatible liver histology * Primary biliary cirrhosis as defined by the presence of at least 2 of these criteria (i) Biochemical evidence of cholestasis based mainly on alkaline phosphatase elevation (ii) Presence of anti-mitochondrial antibody (AMA) (iii) Histologic evidence of nonsuppurative destructive cholangitis and destruction of interlobular bile ducts\[1\] * Primary sclerosing cholangitis * Known history of Wilson disease, alpha-1-antitrypsin liver disease, or hemochromatosis. Any other type of liver disease that is currently active other than NASH such as drug-induced liver disease, liver cancer, or bile duct obstruction. * Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) greater than 400 U/L within 90 days of randomization * Moderate or severe renal impairment (serum creatinine ≥ 2.0 mg/dL or eGFR \< 60 mg/mL/1.73m2) * History of biliary diversion or evidence of current biliary obstruction * Known positivity for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection * Active, serious medical disease with likely life expectancy less than 5 years * Active substance abuse including inhaled or injection drugs in the year prior to screening * Pregnancy, planned pregnancy, potential for pregnancy and unwillingness to use ≥ 1 effective form(s) of birth control during the trial, breast feeding * Current use of medications that may impact the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (i.e. orlistat or cholestyramine) * Pre-existing history of fat malabsorption * Males at high risk of prostate cancer, including: * PSA \>ULN at baseline * History of prostate cancer * Age 45 or older with a first-degree relative (father or brother) diagnosed with prostate cancer at an early age (younger than age 65). * Age 40 or older with more than one first-degree relative who had prostate cancer at an early age (younger than age 65) * Participation in an IND trial in the 30 days before randomization * Any other condition which, in the opinion of the investigator, would impede compliance or hinder completion of the study, including inability to swallow treatment capsules * Failure or inability to give informed 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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Cleveland, Ohio, 44195, United States
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Duke University Medical Center
Durham, North Carolina, 27710, United States
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Indiana University- Adults
Indianapolis, Indiana, 46202, United States
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Liver Institute Northwest
Seattle, Washington, 98105, United States
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St. Louis University
St Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States
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University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, California, 92103, United States
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University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, California, 94143, United States
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University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California, 90089, United States
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Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, Virginia, 23298, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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