Can eating mostly fruit tame type 2 diabetes? new study aims to find out
NCT ID NCT07376226
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 08, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study will test whether eating a diet rich in whole fruit (up to 50% of daily calories) for 17 weeks can improve blood sugar control, reduce liver fat, and lower heart disease risk in adults with type 2 diabetes who do not use insulin. Participants will eat fruit prepared in a research kitchen and track their progress. The goal is to see if a fruit-focused diet is a safe and effective way to manage diabetes.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- whole fruit (fresh, dried, and frozen fruit blended into smoothies)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could show that a high-fruit diet helps manage blood sugar and reduce liver fat in type 2 diabetes, offering a simple dietary approach.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small early study (25 people) with no control group, so results may not apply broadly. Eating 50% of calories as fruit may be hard to sustain and could raise blood sugar in some people.
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 25 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2028
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 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: * Aged ≥18 years * Diagnosed with type 2 diabetes * HbA1c between 6.5-12.0% * Fasting C-peptide level ≥0.5 ng/ml, indicating the patient does not have beta-cell failure, as measured at screening Exclusion Criteria: * On insulin * Evidence of latent autoimmune diabetes (LADA) or maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) * Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) \<45 ml/min per 1.73 m² * Heart attack in the past 6 months or severe/unstable heart failure * On weight loss medication, including GLP-1 receptor agonists (e.g., semaglutide, dulaglutide) * Change in the dosage of a chronic medication that may affect study endpoints within the past 3 months * Clinically significant laboratory abnormality (e.g., abnormal hemoglobin levels) * Significant gastrointestinal disease, major gastrointestinal surgery, or gallstones * Significant cardiovascular, renal, cardiac, liver, lung, adrenal, or nervous system disease that might compromise participant safety or data validity * Evidence of cancer (other than non-melanoma skin cancer) within the last 5 years * Lost or gained more than 5 lbs (or more than 2% of body weight if the patient weighs \>250 lbs) of weight in the past 2 months * Pregnant, planning to become pregnant in the next 6 months, or breastfeeding * Major psychiatric condition that would affect the ability to participate in the study * Not able to eat the provided study meals (e.g., food allergies) * Behavioral factors or circumstances that may impede adherence to the dietary intervention * Not able to undergo the MRI scan (e.g., due to claustrophobia, implanted metal objects, or body girth ≥60 cm)
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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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Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
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