The Effect of a Low-fat Vegan Dietary Intervention on Intracellular Lipid, Insulin Sensitivity, and Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes

NCT ID: NCT06106035

Last Updated: 2026-01-20

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

26 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-02-13

Study Completion Date

2025-11-28

Brief Summary

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The goal of this 16-week clinical trial is to assess the health benefits of a low-fat vegan diet on insulin sensitivity and glycemic control in type 2 diabetes. Participants will receive at no cost, study-related weekly nutrition education classes and one-on-one consultation with a registered dietitian.

Detailed Description

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This study tests the hypothesis that fat content in muscle and liver cells will be reduced and changes in insulin sensitivity will be observed in response to a low-fat vegan diet intervention.

The study will be carried out online (via Zoom or a similar platform). Participants will be asked to attend weekly online classes on nutrition and health.

The study will also require in-person meetings. Participants will travel to the Physicians Committee of Responsible Medicine, Washington, DC, at the beginning of the study (week 0) and the end of the study (week 16) to complete bloodwork (comprehensive metabolic panel, lipid panel, and HbA1c) and several medical tests (standard meal test, indirect calorimetry, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry \[DEXA Scan, an imaging test that measures changes in bone mineral density/bone strength\], and Advanced Glycation End-products measurement). They will also need to travel to the Magnetic Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT at the beginning of the study (week 0) and the end of the study (week 16) to have a Magnetic Resonance (MR) spectroscopy to quantify liver and muscle fat content.

Conditions

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Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 in Obese

Study Design

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Allocation Method

NA

Intervention Model

SINGLE_GROUP

All individuals will be on a low-fat vegan diet for the duration of the study.
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Intervention Group: low-fat vegan diet

This arm of participants will be asked to attend weekly online classes in nutrition and health and to follow a low-fat, vegan diet for 16 weeks.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

low-fat vegan diet

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

The intervention diet consists of whole grains, vegetables, legumes, and fruits, with no restriction on energy intake. Participants will also be guided to favor foods with a low glycemic index. Animal products and added oils will be excluded. The diet is designed to derive approximately 10% of energy from fat, approximately 10-15% of energy from protein, and the remainder from mostly complex carbohydrates. The diet will also provide approximately 40 g of fiber per day.

Interventions

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low-fat vegan diet

The intervention diet consists of whole grains, vegetables, legumes, and fruits, with no restriction on energy intake. Participants will also be guided to favor foods with a low glycemic index. Animal products and added oils will be excluded. The diet is designed to derive approximately 10% of energy from fat, approximately 10-15% of energy from protein, and the remainder from mostly complex carbohydrates. The diet will also provide approximately 40 g of fiber per day.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Other Intervention Names

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low-fat, plant-based diet

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

1. Men and women with type 2 diabetes treated by diet and/or oral hypoglycemic agents other than sulfonylureas
2. Age ≥18 years
3. Body mass index 26-40 kg/m2
4. Medications (antidiabetic, antihypertensive, and lipid-lowering) have been stable for the past 3 months
5. HbA1c between 6.0-10.5% (42-91 mmol/mol)

Exclusion Criteria

1. Diabetes mellitus, type 1 and/or treatment with insulin or sulfonylureas
2. Metal implants, such as a cardiac pacemaker or an aneurysm clip
3. History of any endocrine condition that would affect body weight, such as thyroid disease, pituitary abnormality, or Cushing's syndrome
4. Smoking during the past six months
5. Alcohol consumption of more than 2 drinks per day or the equivalent, episodic increased drinking (e.g., more than 2 drinks per day on weekends), or a history of alcohol abuse or dependency followed by any current use
6. Use of recreational drugs in the past 6 months
7. Use within the preceding six months of medications that affect appetite or body weight, such as estrogens or other hormones, thyroid medications, systemic steroids, antidepressants (tricyclics, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), antipsychotics, lithium, anticonvulsants, appetite suppressants or other weight-loss drugs, herbs for weight loss or mood, St. John's wort, ephedra, beta-blockers
8. Pregnancy or intention to become pregnant during the study period
9. Unstable medical or psychiatric illness
10. Evidence of an eating disorder
11. Likely to be disruptive in group sessions
12. Already following a low-fat, vegan diet
13. Lack of English fluency
14. Inability to maintain current medication regimen
15. Inability or unwillingness to participate in all components of the study
16. Intention to follow another weight-loss method during the trial
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Yale University

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Hana Kahleova, MD, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

Locations

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Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Kahleova H, Sutton M, Maracine C, Nichols D, Monsivais P, Holubkov R, Barnard ND. Vegan Diet and Food Costs Among Adults With Overweight: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Sep 5;6(9):e2332106. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.32106.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 37669055 (View on PubMed)

Kahleova H, Petersen KF, Shulman GI, Alwarith J, Rembert E, Tura A, Hill M, Holubkov R, Barnard ND. Effect of a Low-Fat Vegan Diet on Body Weight, Insulin Sensitivity, Postprandial Metabolism, and Intramyocellular and Hepatocellular Lipid Levels in Overweight Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Nov 2;3(11):e2025454. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.25454.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33252690 (View on PubMed)

Yatsuya H, Nihashi T, Li Y, Hotta Y, Matsushita K, Muramatsu T, Otsuka R, Matsunaga M, Yamashita K, Wang C, Uemura M, Harada A, Fukatsu H, Toyoshima H, Aoyama A, Tamakoshi K. Independent association of liver fat accumulation with insulin resistance. Obes Res Clin Pract. 2014 Jul-Aug;8(4):e350-5. doi: 10.1016/j.orcp.2013.08.002. Epub 2013 Sep 5.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25091356 (View on PubMed)

Barnard ND, Cohen J, Jenkins DJ, Turner-McGrievy G, Gloede L, Jaster B, Seidl K, Green AA, Talpers S. A low-fat vegan diet improves glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors in a randomized clinical trial in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2006 Aug;29(8):1777-83. doi: 10.2337/dc06-0606.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16873779 (View on PubMed)

Itani SI, Ruderman NB, Schmieder F, Boden G. Lipid-induced insulin resistance in human muscle is associated with changes in diacylglycerol, protein kinase C, and IkappaB-alpha. Diabetes. 2002 Jul;51(7):2005-11. doi: 10.2337/diabetes.51.7.2005.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 12086926 (View on PubMed)

Bachmann OP, Dahl DB, Brechtel K, Machann J, Haap M, Maier T, Loviscach M, Stumvoll M, Claussen CD, Schick F, Haring HU, Jacob S. Effects of intravenous and dietary lipid challenge on intramyocellular lipid content and the relation with insulin sensitivity in humans. Diabetes. 2001 Nov;50(11):2579-84. doi: 10.2337/diabetes.50.11.2579.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 11679437 (View on PubMed)

Goodpaster BH, Theriault R, Watkins SC, Kelley DE. Intramuscular lipid content is increased in obesity and decreased by weight loss. Metabolism. 2000 Apr;49(4):467-72. doi: 10.1016/s0026-0495(00)80010-4.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 10778870 (View on PubMed)

Krssak M, Falk Petersen K, Dresner A, DiPietro L, Vogel SM, Rothman DL, Roden M, Shulman GI. Intramyocellular lipid concentrations are correlated with insulin sensitivity in humans: a 1H NMR spectroscopy study. Diabetologia. 1999 Jan;42(1):113-6. doi: 10.1007/s001250051123.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 10027589 (View on PubMed)

Perseghin G, Scifo P, De Cobelli F, Pagliato E, Battezzati A, Arcelloni C, Vanzulli A, Testolin G, Pozza G, Del Maschio A, Luzi L. Intramyocellular triglyceride content is a determinant of in vivo insulin resistance in humans: a 1H-13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy assessment in offspring of type 2 diabetic parents. Diabetes. 1999 Aug;48(8):1600-6. doi: 10.2337/diabetes.48.8.1600.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 10426379 (View on PubMed)

Goodpaster BH, Thaete FL, Kelley DE. Thigh adipose tissue distribution is associated with insulin resistance in obesity and in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000 Apr;71(4):885-92. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/71.4.885.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 10731493 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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Pro00074571

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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