Effects of Dried Whole Fruits on Metabolism in Diabetes

Diabetes becomes epidemic in worldwide countries. Diabetes Canada indicated that 30% of adults in Manitoba are diabetes or prediabetes. Nine out of ten diabetic patients are type 2 diabetes (T2D). T2D is characterized by insulin resistance and obesity. Uncontrolled diabetes leads to serious consequences including heart attack, stroke, chronic renal failure, liver failure, blindness and low limb amputation. Most of hypoglycemic medications have certain side effects. Natural foods or nutraceuticals with hypoglycemic potential are expected to provide a safer management for diabetic patients. Saskatoon berry is a popular fruit in Canadian Prairie and Northern states in USA. Previous studies in the investigator's group demonstrated Saskatoon berry (SB) powder attenuated hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, insulin resistance, inflammation, liver steatosis and gut dysbiosis in diet-induced insulin resistant mice, a model for T2D. The findings of the glucose and lipid lowering or liver protective effects of SB powder have been supported by another group in Australia in high fat fed rats. Preliminary studies by the investigators in 20 healthy subjects demonstrated that dried whole SB (40 g/day for 10 weeks) significantly reduced fasting plasma glucose, total and LDL-cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, and increased plasma glucagon-like peptide compared to baseline, which was associated with increased intake of total fiber and decreased intake of saturated fat. The changes in metabolic and vascular variables significantly correlated with the alterations in gut microbiota The combination of findings suggest that SB is good candidate of prebiotic functional food as a supplemental remedy for reducing the risk for metabolic syndrome and preventing or managing T2D. The effect of Saskatoon berry and its products on metabolic disorders have not been studied in diabetic subjects. The investigators propose to examine the effects of oral administration of freeze-dried whole SB on glucose metabolism, insulin resistance and gut microbiota in untreated prediabetes and new type 2 diabetic patients compared to a control dried fruit in a randomized controlled trial.

NCT Number	NCT07354386
Lead Sponsor	University of Manitoba
Conditions	Prediabetes, Type 2 Diabetes
Enrollment	92 participants
Start Date	2026-04-20
Primary Completion	2031-12-31 (estimated)
Study Completion	2032-12-31 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-05-14